How to Train Your Dragon The Mystery of A Boy And a Dragon
by thetechman
Summary: This story takes place 6 months after HTTYD2. While flying with Toothless, Hiccup discovers a new dragon species prowling the outskirts of Berk. Later that same day, a mysterious boy comes to the island seeking help. Who is this boy? And why does he have such a strong connection with dragons? Disclaimer: I do not own How to Train Your Dragon or the characters, except my OC.
1. Prologue

**_Special Thanks to my Beta Reader Fantasia _****_Komix__ For rewriting and expanding on the scenes within this prologue and making of words flow much better. I do appreciate you making it chapter much better than it was. Thank you again._**

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**-Prologue-**

On an island far from here, both literally and in memory, a Dragon Hunter outpost thrived, the faction their renown for the capture and transfer of scaled beasts for hundreds of miles around.

Cages surrounded the main camp, the hunters bombarded with the anguished screams of dragons. They usually brushed this off, for the beasts always quieted down in the end, then the men would get paid for having someone else take the smelly things off their hands.

For many of them, this was a way of life that had been passed down in their lines, from generations of normal Norse folk trying to scrap enough of an income together to feed their families. Others thought of it as a sport or game...most tried to avoid these people as much as possible, but they were the most successful.

On one particular day, the hunters gathered on the docks, their week's catch fearfully quiet as one lone ship drifted menacingly into the harbor. Upon landing, figures on board scrambled to lower the plank. The slam of wood on wood startled some of the trainees, but it was routine.

As was getting paid, of course, but that only happened after the transaction was made. The captain on board the ship turned to his men.

"Alright, we've got a new shipment of dragons!" he impatiently called out. "Transfer them to our cages and prepare to set sail!"

Other than a little grumbling, no one complained about the lack of a break. After all, the Warlord had increased his quota, again. But the pay was good and they had a decent doctor at a reasonable price, so none of the men would even think of leaving the trade before retirement. Well...if it was possible, but they never thought about that too hard.

...A few hours later...

Two Hunters were sent down into the depths of the ship's cargo hold, the seemingly cavernous space lit only by the flickering flames of the torches clutched in their hands. Sweat dripped down their faces, which they would have claimed to have stemmed from the heat hanging in the stifling air, or from the nauseous fumes of the refuse collecting in the cages.

The new recruit clutched his torch tightly, his eyes flitting from side to side nervously. The other relaxed, leaning on of the cages in order to benefit from the relieving cold of the lime-green metal. There was no idle chatter, for neither had anything to say to the other.

Finally, the recruit cleared his throat. "Sir, are you sure it's a wise idea to keep these dragons on a flammable boat in the middle of the ocean?" Upon hearing this, the senior Hunter cracked up. Snorting, he pushed off from the door of the cage and clapped the young man on the back. "Calm down, boy, I know that you're new at this, but by the gods, you can't be that unaware!"

"The devils know they can't breathe fire on this boat while they're in their cages; they'd drown. Asides, they're muzzled. Our job is to get these dragons to the warlord and have them ready for war."

"But why dragons?" The recruit asked angrily, "For generations, we waged war without dragons! Why start now?!"

The other only rolled his eyes. "That was before we knew they could be tamed and used as weapons, kid," he sneered.

"Imagine, just sitting back and letting dragons do the work for us for once. All we'd have to do is 'accept' the gold of the richest nations and impress every woman in the archipelago! Ha, it will be marvelous!"

"But sir, we don't know how to tame them and-Agh!" The recruit yelped, staring at the cage before him in horror. "Sir, this Dragon doesn't have a muzzle! it's not even tied up!" 'Sir' glanced over at the object in question and cracked up. "Oh, that purple one? Leave it be, it's not as aggressive as the other monsters on this ship. Believe it or not, that one came with nary a fuss or fight. In fact, it walked into that cage."

The younger man was stunned, his eyes big as saucers. "Really?!"

"I believe it lost the will to fight," continued the senior officer as though the recruit hadn't interrupted. "So, when we get to the base, we'll give it a reason to fight. If it doesn't want to by then, well…" he trailed off, his dark smile flickering in the torchlight.

Oblivious to the other's change in mood, the other ventured, "Well what, sir?" A fist clobbered his ear in reply. "Ow!" "You are an idiot, you know that, right?" The senior officer started to walk away, silently motioning for the recruit to move around and check the cages.

After a few minutes of patrolling the cages, the two sat down where they started. The recruit hesitated, then remarked to the senior Hunter, "Oh, sir, I never did finish asking you how we'll actually tame the dragons."

"Well, that's a very good question compared to your other ones," he replied. "We're planning a raid on a village on an island called Berk. There are two prizes there that will help our cause. One of them is Hiccup, the chief's son…" He paused and lowered his voice. "And the other his beast, a Night Fury that can control other dragons. If we get at least one of these targets back alive, our plans for world domination will be…well, let's just say that they will be much easier."

"But sir, do you think the rumors are true that the boy's-I'm sorry, the Chief's father-is dead?"

"If that's true, then that makes our job a whole lot easier. And we have the perfect group ready to work with known as the Bog…" The man's voice drifted off as his eyes caught on an irregular shadow that moved right at the edge of the torchlight.

Right behind the pair, a voice called out, confident yet only just loud enough for the Hunters to hear, "Well, this makes things a tad more interesting."

"Who said that?" 'Sir' whipped around, barely missing the recruit as he waved the torch in the voice's general direction. "Who goes there? Show yourself!"

The voice was silent, and a figure stirred in the darkness, the air tense…as though a dragon were on the prowl. Goosebumps crept along the Hunter's arms as he clenched the dark wood of the handle, not any the more confident in its presence. After all, if it were a dragon, he thought to himself despite his training, the torch would be useless.

The voice chuckled as though it-no, he, definitely a he-heard his thoughts right then. Finally, a foot stepped into the light, then another. Human feet.

The figure standing before them was somewhat teenage size and dark as night, his dark eyes gleaming in the flickering flame of the torchlight. The being smirked, his teeth sharp and pearly white. "Oh, just a random person in the background."

As he said this, 'Sir' grabbed the crossbow from the recruit's trembling hands and shot at the stranger. "Bad move, kid!" he growled when the arrow stopped, seemingly embedded in the being's breast.

But he had done so prematurely, for the 'kid' silently moved his hand up as though showcasing it, the arrow poised between his index and middle finger. The fabric over his heart was unblemished.

The recruit yelped. "He caught it?!"

'Sir' began to reload the crossbow to get in another shot, but the being threw the arrow like a dart, splitting the mechanism in two, his smirk ever the more prominent.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," he playfully scolded the stunned Hunter.

But then his face grew serious. "I'm in a very good mood; the last thing you want to do is tick me off, mongrel. Because, well, if you do…" he snapped his fingers.

Dragons descended from the darkness and surrounded the Hunters, mouths blazing as hot as the fury in their eyes. But they did not attack, for they were watching the figure intently…as though they were waiting for something.

Again the recruit broke the silence. "But-How?! These Dragons were in their cages, tied up, and dosed with Dragon Root, and he didn't trip the alarm?!"

But the boy shushed him, finger hovering over his mouth condescendingly as though he were talking to a small child. The recruit fell silent. The boy smiled. "Now, they won't…harm you unless you provoke them…or if I give the order. Whichever you choose is all the same to me, but I recommend staying silent, capisce?"

'Sir' only glared at the boy. "You're one of the Dragon Riders, aren't you?"

But the boy furrowed his brow for a moment, then said, "'Dragon Riders'? Now that's an interesting name. So, I assume what you say is true about this place called…Berk, was it?" He sauntered towards them and stopped in front of the senior officer, coldly staring into his eyes.

"If you tell me what I need to know, no harm will come to you or your crew. However, if you don't…" He pointed at the recruit and a Monstrous Nightmare that was eyeing the target lit itself on fire and growled viciously, leaning as far as it could towards him without moving from its spot. The boy did not look away from the Hunter, though the corner of his mouth did twitch. "Well, I'm pretty sure you get the message."

"Now, tell me everything you know about Berk down to its people and its dragons. And give me EXACT coordinates, if you please."


	2. Chapter 1 The Dragon

_**I would like to thank my Beta Reader Thedyingjokepastaway for helping me improve this chapter.**_

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This is Berk small place I know but we're expanding to make this place a better Safe Haven for people and Dragons alike. My Village in a word, sturdy. We've been here for seven generations and every single building is remodeled and brand new. We have fishing, Dragon Racing and a very nice view of the sunset. It's been 6 months since I found my mother, lost my father and became chief. The Battle with Drago did have a heavy toll on our defenses in structure within the village. There's still ice shards from when the Bewilderbeast attacked slowly melting. But with that sacrifice came new allies' new dragons alike. The difficult part is finding time for the people and finding time for...

"Toothless! Ahhhhhh... how many times must I say you know that doesn't wash out." Toothless backoff and bark at Hiccup. "Alright I know what you want,'' he said while walking towards the door, but we must be quick before...", he opened the door and Astrid was standing there.

"Hey Astrid, hi Astrid hey..."

"Don't think you can sneak off that easily, she said. You have a duty to your people before you can play with Toothless, Hiccup."

"Yes, that is true", he said. "But that's why I've been waking up earlier so I can go to morning flights with Toothless. Then spend the rest of the time working in the village."

Astrid sighs, looks at him and says, "Just don't take too long, ok Hiccup?"

He kissed her and walked behind her, " I'll try Astrid."

She looked confused, "What do you mean you'll..." but by the time she turned around he already took off towards the skies.

**{5 minutes later}**

Hiccup and Toothless flew above the clouds around Berk, "Whoooooooooo this never gets old!" He screamed while the wind blew past them. "Alright, bud, you think we should test out the new Solo Glide again?" Toothless looked back at him and made a growling noise while rolling his eyes. "Oh, don't give me that look. The more we practice the faster..." He trails off as he notices a fast-moving object flying around Berk. "What is that? Toothless go towards it."

They flew down just to get close to the object, as they got closer Hiccup noticed that it was some sort of creature, no it was a dragon "By the gods what is that?"

It was a never before seen dragon. On its head, tiny horns were coming from its eyebrows and the side of its face, it also had a mane with black fur at the back of its head. It was big, a horn adorning the middle of its snout. Its arms seem to have shown muscle, the dragon's body seems to build close to a Deathsong but different. It was three times the size of Toothless with purple scales. "I've never seen a dragon like this before," Hiccup thought. The Dragon took notice of them then looked at Hiccup and growled very low. "Whoa, easy there I don't mean you any harm." It would seem the moment he said that the dragon had calmed down. The dragon then looked over towards Toothless.

"Toothless", hiccup said, "do you mind telling the dragon to follow us and calm down?"

Toothless then turn and face the dragon. They made strange noises towards one another it would seem to me that they were having a conversation. But it suddenly snarled viciously at Toothless.

Toothless then back away from the dragon cautious, "Uh Toothless I believe the point of that was to calm it down," Hiccup cried.

It flew faster ahead of them towards Berk. "Wait"! Hiccup screamed, "Toothless stop that dragon!" Toothless then chase after the dragon and roar telling the dragon to stop. The purple dragon did stop looking towards them with its head tilted to the side. Toothless stopped chasing it and just flew in one spot in the air, but Hiccup was curious about the dragon's behavior, "It seems to be confused," Hiccup stated.

But suddenly it roars towards them, "GRAAAAAAHHhhh!" It turned around and flew even faster than before towards the Berk.

"No, wait!" But it was too late the Dragon was already gone within the forest.

The wind blew past Hiccup and Toothless as they were hovering mid-air, "It's fast. How can a dragon that big be that fast? And it ignored Toothless, how?" Hiccup said to himself.

He then looked over toward his island where his village was, "All right Bud we got to finish these flight simulations later we got to go back to Berk."

(A quick flight back to Berk)

Hiccup and Toothless landed in front of their house but Astrid was there waiting for them to return 

"Well, well, well", said Astrid, "you got back quicker than I expected". She notices Hiccup was scared "Hiccup? What's wrong?"

"Astrid, I need you and Fishlegs to come with me."

"Why what's going on?" Astrid replied.

"I believe there's a new species of dragons on our island."

"Why do you sound like that's a bad thing? Usually, you'll be more excited about these types of things."

"Well, I would be if this specific dragon didn't ignore Toothless's command."

She was shocked, "Hiccup you know that's not possible. Your mother is always going on about how no dragon can ignore the alpha's command."

"I know", he said, "but this one did. And I don't know how but we do need to find it. For all, we know it is possible that it can ignore the alpha's command or it may have the same abilities as an alpha to control other dragons. And I'm afraid because our defenses are low, so people can sneak on our Island without us noticing and take that dragon."

"I can see why you don't want to take the risk but-", he cut off Astrid.

"But nothing Astrid, If our enemies come to this island and find that dragon it'll be Drago Bludvist all over again."

"You are making a lot of assumptions just because this dragon ignores Toothless", she stated. "But that wasn't what I was going to say. Hiccup you will need to stay here."

He was shocked, "What why?"

"Because you have a duty to your people. Gobber spoke out of nowhere, "we need your help with these schematics and build the foundation in these buildings, Stables, and houses."

"But-"

"No butts", Gobber replied, "come along."

"Don't worry." said Astrid, " I'll pick up Fishlegs and we'll go find that dragon, just describe it to me."

"Dark Purple with a horn in the middle of its snout, twice if not 3 times the size of Toothless with brown eyes with horns on the side of its head it also had a mane with made of black fur. It looks like it was going towards the area of the beach."

"Alright I'll get Fishlegs and we'll be on our way."

Hiccup nodded, "Alright sounds like a plan."


	3. Chapter 2 The Boy

_**Special Thanks to ****Draconicbeing2.0 and DragonWriter0316**** for helping with grammar and rewriting the scenes and ****making the words in this chapter flow better. The amount of detail that went into this chapter really shows so again Thank you.**_

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Mysterious boy (POV)

"So, this is Berk? I'm honestly disappointed with how small this place is. But if this is the place where the so-called Dragon Riders are then I don't have a choice but to come here." I gazed around at the trees and flowers, glancing at a few birds. I sighed, rubbing my arms to warm myself up. "A day-and-a-half of flying and 3 hours of sailing just so I can reach this island. Why is it so cold? Its spring for God's sake! I should have brought extra clothes," I muttered bitterly, slouching.

"Well, look what we have here." While I was walking around, I noticed that there are traps scattered across the forest. "Dragon traps. Slightly rusted, they must have been here for years. The people of this Village probably don't know they're here," I thought to myself.

I pulled out my map, pointing my finger at the small markings. Squinting, I narrowed my eyes to see better.

"So, I'm here right next to the Meridian of Misery... this is Berk... and our destination is…. Here." I paused for a moment, gathering my thoughts. "Depending on the dragons on this island, that might be another day and a half trip."

"And I need to find a way to convince him to leave this island to help my cause or the king's cause... I also need to find out if this is Berk. I know that there are Dragon Riders here, that boy on top of the black Sand Wraith was proof enough, but I don't know if it was forced the fly with him or not; it didn't seem distressed." I glanced up and continued walking as I mused over my thoughts. That spectacle had amazed me, but I didn't want to be discovered that way.

"I also need to find out what to do if they decide not to come, and worst-case scenario, if they see me as an intruder or spy, which technically isn't wrong, but I'm not sure. I don't want to start anything with anyone; I just need help." My thoughts jumbled up in confusion as multiple scenarios shot through my head. Kicking a stray rock away, I sighed and glanced at the map one more time before rolling it up.

"And, well, I guess if they don't decide to come, I don't have a choice but to take a hostage as live bait and force them to come," I thought, thinking of the different ways I could kidnap one of the humans. They would fight back, of course, so I needed to be prepared for anything.

"I don't want it to come to that, but if push comes to shove, I don't have a..." A shadow fell over me and I noticed a dragon silhouette above.

'Shoot! I shouldn't have been standing in the opening like this! How sloppy,' my thoughts cried as I slowly began to back away into the trees.

"Maybe they won't see me as a threat if I just slowly back away."

"Stormfly! Spine shot!"

I panicked and fled, feeling the air whistle as something sharp headed towards me, and a harsh growl sounded behind.

_**(2 minutes earlier.)**_

Astrid (POV)

"Alright Fishlegs, calm down. Our job is to find the dragon and bring it back to the Village," I explained in annoyance as the large boy squealed and nearly tipped over Meatlug, much to her annoyance.

"I know, but I'm just so excited! It's been a very long time since we discovered a new species of dragon. And if what you say is true, and it can ignore the king of dragon's command, it must be very powerful." I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms, muttering, "And how is that a good thing for us? It could try to kill us and our dragons!"

"Well, I didn't think of it that way", he said, waving his hand. "Anyway, what does it look like again?" Fishlegs grabbed a parchment and charcoal from a hanging saddlebag and looked eagerly at me, ready to sketch.

"Hiccup described it as a dragon twice the size of Toothless with a horn in the middle of its snout and spikes on its eyebrows with a black mane with purple scales," I stated, for the fifth time, mind you. The over-excited boy immediately began sketching a large Night Fury, using his saddle as a table.

"If it's purple, why is it so hard to find in the Green Forest? We should have made it out by now. It might be able to change his colors like a Changewing, or it's hiding in some cave," Fishlegs asked as he drew, tapping his foot with a look of concentration.

"It might be inside of a cave, but I guess it could be possible if it could change the colors of its scales," I sighed, fingering the saddle. This was boring.

I look down and I think I see a person, "Hold on a minute... Fishlegs, do you see that?" I squinted to get a better view.

"Yeah, almost looks like a person," he said, looking up from his drawing.

"That's because it is a person. Why do you think he's out here?" I thought for a moment, "Wait a minute... look at his clothes; those aren't like anything from Berk. He might be an intruder or spy!" I screamed, startling Stormfly and making her spin. Calming down, the Nadder looked back at me in an annoying way, and I pat her neck in apology.

"Let's not make assumptions." Fishlegs sounded scared, slowly rolling up his sketch. "He might be just a visitor."

"If that was true, why didn't he stop by our docks? He's sneaking around!" I muttered angrily. "Whatever he's trying to do, we have to stop him in his tracks. Go Stormfly!"

The Nadder gargled and fixed her eyes on the human before silently diving for him.

I notice that the person was staring right at me while I am flying towards him. "All right girl, we need to stop him in his tracks. Stormfly! Spine shot!"

Before they hit their mark, he ran.

"After him!" I yelled, and Stormfly squawked in agreement, flapping hard to catch up.

While this man was running through the forest, he was zipping through trees, I noticed that he was running at exhilarating speeds and dodging trees like they were nothing.

"How can a person run that fast?"

I notice the area that I was in, there was a cliff coming up soon. Sooner or later he will have no place to run. I thought to myself.

I also notice that he looked back at a tree that I was approaching, quickly turning. "Wait! Fly around!" he called, waving his arms frantically.

"Wait for wha-" But it was too late. It was a trap around a tree reserved for Timberjacks. Stormfly was wrapped around a net, screeching furiously, and I was flung off, heading straight down the cliff. I screamed as I fell, shutting my eyes to avoid looking at the quickly approaching ground.

"Astrid!" Yelled Fishlegs. Not even his dragon will be fast enough to save me.

I screamed bloody murder but before I was halfway down the cliff, I felt something gripped my hand and the momentum of the fall began to slow down until it was a standstill.

I looked up and noticed it was the person that I was chasing. "Wh-why did you..."

He snapped at me, "Don't even start! I'm tired of seeing people die in front of me! I should just let you fall after you forced your dragon to shoot me!" He calms down just for a moment, "Call your friend to come to get you. My grip is slipping."

Mysterious boy (POV)

Tries to kill me and yet I still saved her life. I guess I'm crazy for thinking there were civilized people here.

Enough of that, my hand is starting to cramp. It was hard enough to slow our descent. I'm surprised she hasn't asked how we survived yet. I doubt even a Viking can do what I just did with their bare hands.

I looked back down at the female. If that other person doesn't get here on time, should I do it? I can feel the rock I'm holding onto with my left hand starting to give out, and I don't think she's strong enough the climb back at the edge of the cliff. I guess I might not have a choice. I'm tired of seeing things hurt and crying in pain all around me and I don't need another person on my conscience.

Before I could finish my thoughts, a Gronckle appeared on my right-side hovering with a big man on top of her. So, I did what any other sensible man would do. I threw the female at the Dragon. With just enough force so it won't hurt the Gronckle and that the female can land safely on top of the dragon.

Then the big man told me to hop on his Gronckle. I don't know why but I was mad and said, "That dragon is carrying two people when it should be only carrying itself! Do _not_ worry about me; I will climb up and meet you at the edge of the cliff. Get that female Deadly Nadder out of the trap in before I get up there."

He was shocked and stuttered his words, "O-Ok." Then he patted his dragon's neck and she began to hover up slowly.

'That poor dragon,' I thought to myself.

It took me a minute and a half just to get back on top of the cliff. That's what I noticed they were having a difficult time trying to get the Nadder out of the trap.

Shaking my head while saying, "I find it completely sad how you people set up these traps and don't know how to dislodge them. Do I have to do everything by myself?"

The female girl marched toward me and said, "This is your fault! If you weren't sneaking around our island this would have never happened!"

For some odd reason I wasn't angry this time and I don't know why. Is it because this woman was worried about her dragon? I could see the fear in her eyes. Was there something wrong with her Nadder? I look back at the trap and saw no blood; there's nothing physically wrong with the dragon. So, I look back at her and said, "You shouldn't have been flying that low to begin with, especially around all these trees. I'm positive your goal was to try to halt my movements and corner me, but that tactic was just too rash and you were flying too low. You could have killed yourself and your dragon."

Before she could respond I walked towards her dragon that was in the trap. She notices me, growling faintly. There was fear in her eyes, then confusion. She sniffed at me when I was right next to her, then I leaned down and pressed my hand around her chin. She was stiff for a second, sniffed me again, then she started to purr. "That's right. I'm not going to hurt you. I'm going to try to free you," I said to her. She doesn't know who I am, but she knows what I am; a friend of a friend.

I turn around to see the female in the big man wide-eyed with open mouths, and I believe I knew why. "Don't look at me like that there are some people in this world that do care about dragons," I said to snap them out of there confusion. "Now you and you, hold those two ends of the net and stretch it out. I will get the base of the contraption and break it."

The female wanted to speak up, but she knew she had to free her dragon. "Alright." was all she said.

They did exactly what I told them to do. "Stretch out farther," I told them. These nets were made for Timberjacks, so they wouldn't be able to cut through. The only way to get freed is to cut through the nets or destroy the contraption holding the net together. I can't use a rock to destroy the base of it, so I guess I'll just have to punch it.

It took three hard punches but it finally broke and the dragon was set free.

The moment she was freed she tackled me to the ground and began to nuzzle against me. "Alright, alright, I know you're thanking me, but I'm still not used to being tackled to the ground." She understood and gave me some space. I looked around her body to see if there were any lacerations from the net and for what I saw there weren't any.

I looked back at the dragon, scratching her chin, and said, "You're one tough Dragon. Not a single scratch or scale has fallen off. You must be healthy and have been taken good care of." At that moment she licked me, and I laughed.

"Uhh."

I looked behind me. It was the female waiting for me to stop playing with her dragon. I looked in her eyes and just saw concern and worriedness, so I backed off and said, "I'm sorry, she is your Dragon."

She walked towards her dragon hugging by her neck and whispered, "I'm so sorry."

I kind of felt bad because maybe she was right, maybe this was my fault. But I don't need her to feel bad about that, so I said, "Your Dragon was very worried for you. She thought that you were going to die when you went over the cliff."

She looks back at me staring in my eyes and said, "Who are you?"

I looked up to the sky and said, "Who I am is not important. Right now, what is important is I need to see your chief and his son, the dragon master." Both the female and the big man gasp. And the big man said while stuttering, "W-w-wh-why...why do you need to see the chief and his son?"

The amount of shock in her face what's concerning, so maybe the rumors were true about their chief. And if that's true this might complicate things, but I still can't tell my mission objective. They wouldn't believe me about what I needed to tell the chief or their new chief anyway.

"I'm sorry, but I can't give you that information, not yet anyway."

"Why not?" the female grumbled indignantly.

"I just can't," he stated stoutly, glaring at her.

"How do I know you're just not using us for your objectives?" the big man stated.

Then I was starting to get irritated. "I don't have time for this. I need to see your chief!" I yelled.

This time the female was speaking, "If seeing our chief was so important, why didn't you drop off your boat at the docks to avoid this whole situation?"

"Because of that." I pointed towards the ocean, where the boat I stole from the Dragon Hunters the other day was anchored.

She looked over the cliff to see my boat. It took her a while to notice but it had Dragon Hunter logos printed all over it. She quickly turned her head towards me and screamed, "You're a Dragon Hunter!"

"No," I said. "I stole that ship three days ago when they decided to attack the island I was living on. They told me about this place when I forced information out of them and stole their ship. I knew if I pulled around the docks in that ship you guys would have attacked me with no hesitation, so I decided to place it around the island near the sea stacks and used an emergency raft to get to your beach"

The female and the big man look at each other warily, then looked back towards me, and the big man said, "So, you're not here to take a dragon?"

Now it's time to get even more irritated. Did they not hear what I just said? "NO!" I yelled, "If you really must know, I came here to get help, but that is as far as I will go tell you. And the only proof I have that I'm not a Dragon Hunter is the fact that I saved her life!" I pointed towards the female, who tilted her head and warbled.

They looked at me, then back at each other. Turning their backs on me, they began to whisper as if I couldn't hear them.

"Should we tell him Stoick isn't here anymore? There's a good chance if we tell him that he'll leave the island," the big man muttered, fidgeting nervously.

So, the rumors were true, I thought to myself. Stoick the Vast, possibly one of the greatest Vikings who ever lived, is dead... dammit. I hoped his son was still alive.

The female wrung her hands together in an angry way, as if she thought the other human was stupid. "No, we shouldn't tell him. You heard he's after the dragon master. There's only one person who refers to Hiccup as a dragon master... Drago."

My skin began to crawl because of a memory. Drago Bludvist? They tangled with him and lived? And they think I'm a part of his Dragon Army? I wouldn't dare.

"But Astrid, if he were a Dragon Hunter, he wouldn't be so nice towards Stormfly. His reaction would have been more scared than brave when he faced her," the male countered, glancing at the freed Nadder.

"But why would he call Hiccup the Dragon Master?" she argued, stomping her foot a bit and making the Nadder shake and glance at me, crooning.

"It's probably just a rumor that's been going around the archipelago. The son of Stoick the Vast is the dragon master," he replied, to which Astrid, the female, nodded reluctantly.

After having certain points crossed off, they turned toward me and Astrid said, "We will take you to our chief if you tell us why."

I tried to calm myself down after I repeated myself what felt like five times, "As I said, I just came for help. My island is a day and a half out by dragon."

The two humans shared one last glance at each other before the female sighed, and the male said, "Alright, come with us."


	4. Chapter 3 Ronde

_**Special Thanks to ****DragonWriter0316**** for helping with grammar and fixing some of the ****words in this chapter. **_

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Mysterious boy (POV)

"It's about time!" I yelled, "Right now I'm on a tight 'schedule' and I don't have time to waste, so please, let's hurry and go to your village."

"Alright," the big man said, "but before we do, can you tell us your name?"

I thought for a moment; should I tell him my real name? I mean I'm not famous or anything and I doubted it would have jeopardized my mission, so I guessed it would be fine.

"My name is Ronde; it means runt for where I'm from." They looked at me with a confused look on their faces, "And before you ask, my parents didn't know how I was going to turn out."

"Where are you from?" asked the female.

I looked over the horizon and said, "A place beyond the Horizon where it's always hot." I look back at them, "I'm not from this part of the archipelago, as you can see by my complexion."

"We kind of figured that," said the female. "My name is Astrid, and this is Fishlegs," she said as she pointed at the big man.

I tried to hide a chuckle, but fish don't have legs. And then I thought to myself again, What am I doing? I don't have time for this.

"Alright, I don't have time to play with you guys." I looked over them, "I need to go to your Village and see if your Chief can come up with a plan." I looked over to Astrid's Dragon and walked toward her, "I don't want to be rude and take off with your dragon, but I need to leave now, so hop on so we can get a move on."

They understood but they hesitated before hopping on their dragons and then taking off.

It took us around 2 minutes to get to their Village and yet again I'm disappointed with how small their Village was. "This place is supposed to be a safe haven for dragons? It's too small and too crowded," I said out loud.

"Well, we're working on expanding," explained Fishlegs.

I sighed at that comment, "Yes, that might help for a little bit, but sooner or later you will suffer from overpopulation. But you know what: it doesn't matter," I said trying to gather my thoughts. "Just please hurry and take me to your chief."

And they did, but the exact moment we landed I was surrounded by a bunch of dragons. Some of them staring at me with concern, others with excitement. I was used to this, as these types of reactions began ever since I landed on that island, but it was beginning to get annoying.

"BACK UP!" I screamed and they did exactly what I told them to do. I let my anger get the best of me and now the dragons around me were scared. I tried to calm myself down and I lowered my stance so I could show them that I wasn't a threat. They slowly walked back toward me, sniffing and examining me. I reached out my hand for a red nightmare and he hesitated before putting his snout in my hand.

"I'm sorry I just need some space. I'm not completely used to be surrounded by dragons like this." The Nightmare nodded in approval and signaled the other dragons to back off. I bowed my head thanking him.

While this was happening, I also drew a crowd of confused Vikings. They were all looking at me strangely but then they went about their business except one viking teen.

"Who's this guy?" A bulky teen yelled. "He nearly scared Hookfang!"

I can already tell that this guy thinks he's the Hotshot of the island. Everything about him just screamed pride and arrogance, with a hint of stupidity. Man, I hoped I was wrong.

"Snotlout," said Fishlegs, "this is Ronde, he's a visitor to see Hiccup."

He looked at Fishlegs before looking back at me, "For what!?"

"Unless you're the chief, it doesn't concern you," I snapped back.

I couldn't tell if it was anger or disgust in his eyes, but it was something, "You!...," he looked back at his Dragon and sighed. "You scare my dragon again and I'll punch you so hard that your ancestors will feel it!"

Sometimes I hate being right about people. "You'll never get the chance to land that punch," I said back to him. I'm not as buff this man called Snotlout but I knew for a fact that I was stronger than him.

"I'll take that as a-" he was cut off by Astrid coming between us and she said to me, "Don't you have somewhere to be?"

Shoot! I keep getting distracted by little things.

"Where's your chief?" I asked while looking around this village.

"He's standing right there," said Fishlegs.

I looked over to see who he was referring to and it shocked me. It was the same boy that was riding that black Sand Wrath earlier today holding some type of flame sword cutting some wood.

"Hey Astrid," he said, "who's this?"

"A visitor who came to see you."

Something was going on between these two, even with just this interaction I could tell they're more than friends by the tones of their voices, Nevertheless, I had a job to do. "This is your chief?" I said while looking back at them.

I didn't want to open healed wounds, but I needed to make sure that they didn't know I heard about their Chief's death, so I said, "You're Stoick the Vast?"

He looked down towards the ground and simply said, "No, I'm not, I'm his son", he looked back at me. "My father is no longer with us."

I knew that and I still felt bad for mentioning it, "I'm sorry to hear about that. So you must be the Dragon Master then."

He looked shocked at the fact that I said that, but before he responded I said, "Please I need help from you and from your most Elite Warriors or the most skilled Dragon Riders."

Fishlegs(POV)

"He needs our help? I thought he just needed Hiccup's."

Ronde bowed and continued with his speech, "The people and dragons on my Island are in danger. And this danger can spread across the archipelago if it's not stopped within the next 36 hours, or day and a half. Time is not on my side and I need help right now before it's too late." He looks back at Hiccup and says, "Please, I've already wasted too much time trying to get here."

"So that's why he was in a rush," said Astrid.

Hiccup was trying to gather his thoughts and to see if Ronde was lying. He finally spoke up and said, "What is this threat?"

Ronde stood up and said, "Dragon Hunters."

Hiccup looked into his eyes, "You're not lying but you're not telling the full truth either. What's going on?"

Ronde was stiff for a second and just sighed, "Look", he said, "I don't have time to explain why I don't have time to explain but the island that I'm talking about is the perfect breeding place for dragons. These Hunters are taking advantage of that by leaving the younger ones and taking the older ones for their dragon Army. We can't do this anymore. We can no longer defend our home; our enemies are getting too smart. Please, I don't have time, the longer we wait the more Dragons are getting trapped on my island."

"You're still not telling us the full truth. I believe what you're saying is true, but there is more to this than you're leading on. What's really going on on that island that Dragon Hunters will continue to raid the place, they're obviously looking for something," Hiccup said with a slight bit of concern in his voice.

The only thing I could describe on Ronde's face was anger and I'm not sure if it was my imagination or not but it looked like there was a bit of steam coming off of him as he screamed, "LOOK I DON'T HAVE TIME TO EXPLAIN EVERY LITTLE DETAIL ABOUT MY ISLAND! I NEED HELP!"

The moment he yelled that every dragon curled up around us in their defensive position. Even Toothless wrapped around Hiccup and snarled viciously at Ronde.

"Whoa, they never act this way towards anyone. They must have sensed something."

Ronde, having quickly realized the position he was in, got on his knees, bowed, and said, "Look I'm sorry for my outburst, but the more time I waste here trying to explain the situation, more dragons on the island are going to die." He paused for a moment and said, "I heard from the Dragon Hunters I interrogated that you and your group single-handedly defeated Drago Bludvist and his Dragon Army."

Hiccup eyes went wide when he said this.

Ronde stood up and the dragons seemed to calm down. "Please," he said, "I don't want to waste any more time here. Will you kindly grant me my request and help me free the dragons on my Island?"

Hiccup walked toward Ronde and placed one hand on his shoulder and said: "We will, but not right now."

Ronde's face was mixed with both happiness and shock. "Then how long?" he asked.

"I must make preparations for not only the trip but also for my people," said Hiccup.

"And how long would that take?" Ronde said with a bit of anger.

"We will leave tomorrow morning."

Ronde was shaking his head take a few steps back murmuring, "No no no no no no no, we need to leave now."

"I'm sorry but I need to make preparations. I can't just up and leave the village while our defenses are low."

"You have dragons and Vikings that know how to handle their dragons here, that sounds pretty defensive to me," Ronde said with a bit of a growl in his voice.

"I'm sorry, but tomorrow morning is the best I can do," Hiccup said while walking off.

Ronde was shaking, but I wasn't sure if it was from fear, anger, or both but then he stopped shaking and said, "I tried doing this the Civilized way, but I see now that I was wrong,"

Hiccup froze and turn around, "What do you-"

What happened next happened within seconds: he managed to kick Snotlout, who was behind him, down to the ground with his foot; snatch the flaming sword out of Hiccup's hand; and quickly whipped around behind Astrid and wrapped his left arm around her neck and the right to hold the sword in a threatening position around her waist.

"Don't come any closer!" he yelled at us. He looked at Astrid and said, "Call your dragon or I'll snap your neck."

Astrid looked towards me and I saw nothing but fear.

"Astrid, just do exactly what he says," Hiccup said with fear in his voice.

She didn't know what to do, so she did exactly what Hiccup told her to.

"Stormfly!" she yelled.

Stormfly appeared right in front of those two and she looked at Ronde in a threatening manner. Then, the unexpected happened: Ronde stuck his hand out in front of her and she placed her nose in the palm of his hand and she began to calm down.

"Why is she calm?" I questioned; she should have at least tried to free her.

Before I could finish gathering my thoughts, Ronde reached in his back pocket and pulled out some sort of rope and wrapped it around Astrid's hands before climbing on top of Stormfly and taking off.

"HICCUP!" Astrid yelled.

"ASTRID!" Hiccup yelled back.

It was too late-they were gone from island within seconds.

"We have to go after her," Hiccup said, completely freaking out..

"We don't even know where they went," I said trying to get Hiccup to see reason.

While I was trying to gather my thoughts and figure out where they possibly could have gone, I noticed that there was a book on the ground where Ronde was standing moments ago. It was the same book I saw in his possession earlier on the side of his clothes. "Hiccup we can use this to track them," I said to finally get his attention.

"What is that?"

"I believe it's one of his books he carries along with him," I said while trying to gather my thoughts. "We can use Skullcrusher to track him down with this."

"Where is he?"

"Eret should be down in the Great Hall, however, Skullcrusher is already here," I pointed toward his dragon.

"Okay I'll go get him and my mother. Everyone else, gather your things-we are getting Astrid back!"

"Okay," I said while he started running. I looked back at the book I found, my curiosity getting the best of me, asking what was in it? So, I opened it and what I discovered was pretty amazing. There were hand-drawn pictures of dragons with the stats & information on them. So, he created his own Book of Dragons? I can see why he's not afraid of them but why did that start? Then there was information about the dragon's body parts which was even weirder. He had stats there: wings, eyes, size, and abilities. I kept turning and I saw something that shocked me. What I found was a diary or his journal. The words were barely readable, but I think I could make it out what it said.

_**Well, my mother told me if you don't have anyone to talk to for a long time, just write out your problems just to keep your sanity and let loose your bottled-up emotions. I always thought she was crazy, but she might be right since this is actually calming me down. Where should I start, I'm an outcast I can't go back to my country-not the way I am right now.**_

Not the way you are right now? What does he mean? I continued to read it.

_**I don't believe that anyone would possibly try to understand my situation, my father would just try to kill me again. He already killed my best friend so what choice do I have besides running away.**_

Wait what?

_**I don't know how to coordinate myself right now, everything just feels new. I can't control my emotions when I feel anger or sadness, I just react. I don't want to hurt anybody, so I guess I need to exclude myself from others. I'm tired of acting out on instinct so until I can finally get my emotions under control, I need to find a place to practice. There's an island about two days from here plenty of food and shelter. I've been there on hunting trips with my people when I was younger. We stopped going there because of the dragon infestation. The dragons just come by to randomly to pick up food for their nest.**_

Nest? Is it possible they were going through the same thing that we were going through a few years back?

_**But ever since we defeated that giant dragon, the dragons have made their home in my country and my people just couldn't stand that. We were just used to dragons attacking us for no apparent reason. But this time they seem to just come in peace almost like they're thanking us. I know that dragons aren't mindless beasts that most people believe; they have reasons. It's just we're too stubborn to look past our point of view. To be honest, I'm almost glad that I'm leaving my country, I'm just sad that I had to steal a boat to do it, but that's the one thing I know I'm good at.**_

That explains a lot, especially how he will be able to take the Dragon Hunter ship. But why is he specifically running away?

_**I have food here to last me for 3 days. ****Eventually****, it's just going to go stale, and I can't eat the same way I used to. Now that I'm out on my own I have to learn how to hunt and fend for myself out in the wilderness. Hopefully, I won't be driven to insanity. This is Ronde signing off, for now. I won't write back unless something interesting happens in my life or I can't because I'm dead.**_

I checked the date: this was 6 and a half years ago.

What happened to him that made him want to run away from his own country and people?

It looks like he wrote more. I'll probably read more about it on the trip to save Astrid. Right now, I need to gather my stuff.

Astrid(POV)

I can't believe this: me a hostage. I felt sorry for this boy, and look where that got me: my hands tied, he's riding my dragon to an unknown land, and my life is in his hands-great.

I barely have a grip enough to hold on to one of Stormfly's spines on her back. I'd rather die than hold on to the shoulders or waist of someone who just threatened to kill me.

"You know you're not going to get away with this," I said to him. I looked at him and he was... crying?

"I don't intend to," he said sadly.

Then he turned around to look me in my eyes and said, "Once this is all over, I will gladly go back and face the punishment for my crimes against your village and you can lock me up in your deepest darkest dungeon."

I was surprised by this reaction. Why would he...?

"Look I'm not asking for you to trust me or forgive me, but I have an objective and I need it to be complete. I don't need any more bodies on my conscience," he said to me.

"Then why go through all this?"

He turned around and looked at me again, this time with a slight bit of anger in his eyes. "I hate repeating myself. I need help and, I hate to call you this, but right now you're bait."

Disgust filled me and I screamed, "WHAT!?"

"This was the only way I can get them there on time." He looked at me and as he turned away he said, "I saw the way that you look at the chief: you two are more than just friends. Even one little interaction when you introduced me and I could see it."

For some reason, I blushed. Was it that obvious and how did he know?

"Look, I'm sorry if I scared you, I wasn't trying to harm you. I was bluffing," he said sadly.

"You call this bluffing," I said this while showing him my tied hands.

He looked at me and laughed as he said, "That material is from my home. It's used for interrogations to scare people or for pranks. It may feel like it has a strong grip but it's quite breakable if you apply enough force to it, I'm surprised you haven't tried yet."

I was shocked, so I tried to break it apart and it did.

"See," he said to me, "you're not in any real danger. Like I said, I was bluffing. I wouldn't harm another person without cause or reason."

He turned around and looked at me again, "Do you trust me just a little bit more?"

"I wouldn't call this trust, but I understand why you did what you did. I don't excuse it, however," I told him.

"Well that's better than nothing," he said while laughing.

"Still, how do you know that they'll find us?"

"I saw you had a Rumblehorn in your village, so I left my book there on purpose, hoping your friends can track me."

"Wait, you deliberately left an item in our village knowing you would be tracked?" I said disbelievingly.

"Sometimes I have to think three steps ahead in case certain outcomes don't go in my favor."

"So, you planned this whole thing?" I asked angrily. "Are our lives just a game to you?"

He took a deep breath and said, "My mother used to tell me the same thing, but she also told me that if life is a game to you then let it be, if it makes sense enough to control the outcome of you and other people, then think of it that way if it works for your benefit."

I was stunned by his words but then I thought the way he said his mother, "What happened to your mother?"

"I don't know," he paused, "I haven't seen her in 7 years," he said sadly.

"What happened," I said. I don't know why, but now I'm starting to feel bad for him again.

"I had to move on," is all he said. Before I can respond he told me, "Right now I'm not comfortable discussing my life. I've been through a lot in the past 7 years and I just want to focus on my objective. Maybe when this is all over and I'm caged, I'll tell you more about it, but right now there's an island coming up in about 30 minutes. We'll take a quick rest there and gather food. I'm positive we have at least a 4-Hour lead on your friends. We will rest for about an hour then leave, since I know how fast your dragon is now. We'll be there by tonight, so we can rest and wait for your friends, which I'm pretty sure are going to attack me."

"I know they're going to attack you," I said.

"Well," he said, "we'll cross that bridge when we get to it. Right now, what I need is for your dragon to rest, what I don't need her to do is get tired. I want her to feel well-rested before we move on."

He looked at me with a plea in his eyes, "Could you please try to not fly off without me?"

"No promises," I told him.

"Well, I guess that's the best I'm going to get. Off we go."


	5. Chapter 4 Rest

**_I would like to thank my Beta _****_Reader HelenTheMoon for_****_ helping me improve this chapter_**.

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Fishlegs (POV)

"Alright everyone's here", said Hiccup, "our goal is just to rescue Astrid." He paused for a moment. "If her kidnapper becomes too much, me and Toothless will distract him long enough you guys to escape with her."

Eret walked over to Hiccup. "Don't worry, Skullcrusher has the scent. We will find her before you know it."

Hiccup nodded it and looked towards Toothless. "Okay, let's go!"

We took off with Eret in the lead with Hiccup and Toothless just behind them. The twins, Snotlout, Hiccup's mother and I took the third row.

While we were flying, I took another look at Ronde's diary. I don't know why but I was just so interested, and it may help me find out why he was so desperate for us to help him to the point he'll use someone as a hostage.

I flipped to the next section of his diary and started to read.

**Well, it's been 4 days since I last wrote anything, but I had to find some privacy because my... I don't know what to call them. Associates? Friends? Allies? Possible new family? It's weird but I managed to find the island I used to have my hunting trips on. While I was on the island I ran into a couple of natives and to my surprise, I can actually understand them. I thought there was probably going to be a language barrier, but I can perfectly understand them, I was shocked at first. However, their language is somewhat confusing. They don't have certain words such as love or family. They knew the meaning of the words but they use different words to describe them, like saying 'this is warm' to describe love, or to say family they say Kin. It's very confusing after, but after a while you get used to it if you can understand them.**

I thought for a moment, these natives sound like they are cut off from the world or they just have a different Society compared to the rest of the world. I continued reading.

**I was shocked that they let me be part of their society so quickly they only asked where I was from and I told him. I also told them about my current situation, but they didn't believe me. Even the natives don't believe my story. They thought I was crazy or just had an overactive imagination, but I am 10 years old, so I'll doubt they'll believe anything I say if it's that crazy.**

I was shocked, He ran away at 10 years old? What happened to him? Was he afraid for his life? But what did he do or what happened? Then I thought for a moment, if he was 10 at the time and these events happened six and a half years ago, he's either 16 or 17 years old now. He looked older than us, so I thought he was in his early twenties like us.

**They were also shocked when I told them I don't know how to hunt or do other obvious things. They were concerned because these things should be taught at a young age which I thought I was but apparently, I'm not compared to them. So, they decided to teach me how to hunt and fish.**

**It took me two days just to learn how to fish without any weapons or Nets. Yesterday they started to teach me how to fight and to defend myself. At first, each time I got pinned to the ground or some random tree it was fun but now it's starting to get annoying. I found this to be annoying because I know how to fight and defend myself, my dad and teacher taught me. My father was a bit aggressive when it came to combat practice, my teacher just taught me certain moves such as redirecting a punch, using your opponent's momentum against them and weapons... Oh, how I hated the weapons portion of training especially with my father. The only fun thing was the bow and arrow. I could hit my mark but since I was so small I would usually miss if I didn't grip it correctly, I was 7 years old at the time. I was the youngest amongst the group, with most of them are already in their teens and early adulthood back in my country. Out of the 50 members I was placed in the top five when it came to combat thanks to all the momentum training but as usual, it was never enough for my father.**

**Why am I writing about my past? When I should be writing about what's going on right now? The natives are almost done teaching me how to defend myself and they have two more lessons after that. They told me once they're done teaching me, I can live with them as long as I need to. I was surprised again these natives are so nice. They don't care that I'm a stranger, they trust me, and I don't know why. Is it because I'm young and they see me as defenseless? Or is it something more? Whatever it is I'm grateful for it, but I think I'm done writing right now. My hand is beginning to cramp so this is Ronde signing off.**

"Hey Fishlegs, what are you doing?"

I looked up from reading and saw Hiccup staring right at me.

"Oh, I'm just reading Ronde's Book" I replied.

He looked at me and was confused. "Is there anything in there that can help us?" he asks me.

"Well for what I'm reading no but it has information on him, he says he's an outcast of his country."

"Good!" said Snotlout, "He probably stole or did something wrong to affect his whole nation, he's got what's coming to him."

"Well, from what I'm reading he ran away by force by his father," I said.

"Why his father?" asks Hiccup.

"He said his father was going to kill him because of the way he was. I don't know what that means. He's not being clear about what that means either."

"That could mean anything he could be a killer, a murderer a thief or, hear me out, a kidnapper!" yelled Snotlout.

"For what I'm reading it doesn't seem like he's any of those, the only thing that he does mention that he stole is a boat to escape" I mentioned.

"Why would he run away from his Land if he didn't do anything wrong?" asked Hiccup.

"I don't know" I replied, "but maybe I'll find it in the book or when we catch up to them, we can ask him ourselves."

"I just hope to the Gods that Astrid is okay" said Hiccup.

Astrid (POV)

We landed on the island 20 minutes ago next to a lake. As soon as we landed Ronde told me he was going to go get some firewood in the forest, I thought of this as an opportunity to leave him behind. The moment he ran towards the forest I bolted to Stormfly who was making some type of crying noise towards the direction he ran, it's almost like she was crying for him to come back. I stopped right next to her to see an expression on her face that I haven't seen in a while, she was worried.

I thought for a moment and remember he did rescue her from the net and saved my life. Maybe I shouldn't do this just, yet I need to find out why he was so desperate enough to kidnap me. He returned a minute later with stacks of wood, the moment he revealed himself Stormfly went towards him and nuzzled against him. he laughed and place the wood near the lake and signaled Stormfly to light it and she did.

Then what happened next surprised me, he rubbed his hand around her neck and asked Stormfly to help him catch some fish and she made a chirping sound, but I assume that means yes. Ronde signaled her to go to the other side of the lake meanwhile he's taking off his shirt and rolling up his pants towards his knees. That's what I noticed he was wearing an undershirt that looks like it was made of scales.

He was slowly walking in the water which I'm assuming he was trying not to startle any of the fish. He signaled Stormfly to shoot a specific area in the water and she did. the next thing I know is he moving so fast he looks a blur by throwing and kicking fish towards the beach. Then he walks back to get his clothes signaling Stormfly to come back and walk towards me and says," 2 for me 2 for you in the rest it's for your dragon."

"Once she's done eating, I like to get a move on so please eat up you're going to need your strength for later," he told me.

He sat down near me and put his fish in the fire waiting for it to cooked and looked at me.

"You have questions, don't you?" He said, "I'll answer 5 as long as they don't have anything to do with my past."

I thought for a moment this would be the perfect opportunity to squeeze some information out of him, so I said, "what is that shirt made of and how did you get it."

"That counts as 2 by the way," he retorted, "The shirt is made of the dragon scales, Dragon shed a lot and it's a way to protect me from their fire. Where I got it from is the island we're heading towards."

"Dragon shed skin protects you from their fire?" I said while shocked.

"Yes, but I can only make a shirt out of it I'm not very good at knitting, so I wrap it around certain areas to make it look like a shirt. That counts as the third question by the way you have 2," he said.

"Okay," I said angrily, "What's so important on that island to point that you'll kidnap me."

"You know I told you this before, I hate repeating myself, I will tell you once your friends are surrounding me with their dragons. You have one more Make It Count."

Something was bothering me about him so I ask him, "why are dragons so friendly towards you, usually when they meet a stranger, they wouldn't think twice of snarling back and hiss at them, what you have with my dragon usually takes weeks if not months to build trust like that."

He put his hand in his face in a thinking position, "I wonder if I should tell you that that does involve my past, but it's somewhat doesn't either." He looked down for a moment and back to me and said, "Would you even believe me if I told you."

"What's that supposed to mean," I said confused.

He sighed and said, "I can communicate with dragons."

I was shocked so I check his eyes to see if he was lying... he wasn't. "You can talk to them?"

"No communicate it's hard to explain but," he tries Gathering his thoughts to explain, "When I touch a dragon, I can feel their emotions and they can feel mine when I talk they feel the emotions in my words so they can understand the meeting of my words. They can also feel my wants and desires. That's why I'm so hands-on when it comes to your dragon it's just the best way, I can communicate to her."

"Then why do you signal them to do things?" I said to him.

He smirked and said, "You're out of questions but I answer that last one. It's just so I don't have to continue touching them to communicate with them. I do with my hands it's just a way for them to learn what to do when I do signal."

"Why asks that question? you could ask me what we're dealing with or my plan to stop the hunters on the island."

I told him the truth, "I just want to learn more about the enemy that's willing to give me his information."

It wasn't shocked in his face, but it was a surprising look. "Your enemy huh", he chuckled and said, "well at least you're honest."

He picked up one of his fish and took a bite he didn't even skin it and he said, "you remind me of this female that tried to kill me once."

I looked in his eyes he was love-struck. Then he quickly became sad. "How do I remind you to have her?"

"She was strong, brave, and try to prove herself in many, many times."

"I don't have anything to prove to you." I retorted.

"That's not what I mean". He replied, "she tried to prove herself to be a Warrior by trying to kill me."

"Why would she need to prove herself to be a warrior?" I asked.

He looks towards the sky, "Astrid there are many women in this world that want to be something like you. the people in her Village restrict women from being Warriors."

I was shocked Berk allowed women to be Warriors even the tribes during our adventures allowed women to be Warriors.

He continued with his story, "She tried to prove herself by killing an intruder or killing a dragon. When we first met, she tried to kill me but during that time I've recently learned how to deal with situations like the one she put me in. I tried to kill her, but I hesitated and decided to let her go free but the moment my back was turned she pinned me and tried to kill me but then she hesitates. She didn't what to do she thought that Intruders like me goes for the kill so the fact that I let her go confused her. So, she let me go and ran towards her village, the next day I found her on the edge of a cliff staring at the sky. I sat right next to her she was scared at first and quickly settled down."

"To this day I still don't know why she hesitated and let me go her dreams might have come true she would have just killed me."

I was almost sympathetic, not towards him but the girl in his story. I said, "Don't get the wrong idea I do feel bad for you but is there any more to the story that you're willing to share?"

"Maybe later, right now I need to do two things before we leave," he said while standing up.

"First, I need to tell you that I lied about my Island."

I was shocked and was about to say something but then he said.

"I didn't lie about the situation that's going on in my Island I lied about the people on my island. There are no people it's just dragons."

"Why would you lie about that?" I asked.

"I saw how much you and your people love dragons he replied, so I thought if I were to share the story about my people and their dragons being Slaughter you guys would sympathize with me and help my case. I knew if I would have just mentioned dragons being slaughtered you guys would have thought it was a trap."

I thought for a moment but that does make sense. If he would have just came to the island telling us that there were dragons in danger knowing, we care a lot about our dragons we probably would have assumed that it was a trap thus making him waste more time.

"The second thing is well... here." He pulled something out of his back, it was the sword he stole from Hiccup.

"Why are you giving me a weapon?" I asked concerned.

He looked down in the ground and said, "I don't want you to feel like your life it's in my hands. He looks back up into my eyes. I slightly need you to trust me, the more Trusting we are toward each other the easier it's going to be flying to get to My Island."

He turned towards Stormfly and back to me, "I know you tried to fly off without me."

"You are deep in the forest how did you even know?"

"Communicating with Dragons remember", he said, "plus I saw you."

"What would you have done if I left?" I asked.

With no hesitation, he said, "I would have just found a dragon on this island and tell it to kidnap you."

I was shocked and said, "Well at least you're honest."

He laughed and walked towards Stormfly, "Come on, she's done eating and we can make it towards the island before nightfall."

He put out the fire, ate the remaining of his fish and hopped on Stormfly. "Come on," he said.

I can't believe I'm letting someone ride my dragon and taking me to some unknown land while using me as bait. I hopped on the back of my dragon holding on to one of her spines, I'm still not holding on to him. And we're off.


	6. Chapter 5 The Island

**_Special Thanks to my Beta Reader ShadowPhoenix10 for fixing the grammar in this chapter._**

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Hiccup (POV)

Eret's Rumblehorn led us to an island on which we assume they were camping. There were signs of life here, a smoldering campfire, half-eaten fish and footprints all around.

"This area around the campfire is moist. He used water to put out the fire," said Eret. "The fact that the sun is up and the grass around it hasn't dried yet means that they can't be more than an hour ahead of us."

"Alright, that means that we're on the trail and can catch up to them,". I stated, "Fishlegs have you found anything else inside his diary?"

"No," he replied, "It seems that he is purposefully being vague at this point. I went to the next portion of his diary and he was talking about this girl he likes and how she tried to kill him."

"That man has some weird taste," said Ruffnut.

"Didn't you try to bury Snotlout alive?" Her twin asked.

"That's totally different, I don't like him," Ruff shot back.

"But he likes you," Tuff replied in kind.

"Guys, we don't have time for this! We need to figure out what happened here," I said.

"Hiccup," my mother said, "The only things that are here are just footprints, Dragon tracks, a couple fish and a campfire. They just stopped here to rest."

"I know. I just want to make sure that nothing happened to Astrid."

"I know," she said, "but if anything has happened to her, why does Skullcrusher still smell her with him? By the looks of this place and the shallowness of the footprints, there was no struggle or fight."

"I know, but why would he rest when he knows that he doesn't have his book with him and we have tracking dragons?"

"Oh! Maybe he wants us to follow him?" Fishlegs called.

"That may very well be true, which means he might be leading us into a trap. We need to be prepared for anything."

"Fishlegs let me see his book for a second," I asked, taking the book as he offered it.

I opened the book and skimmed through it. "This is unbelievable, he made this? All these stats, all this information! He might even have more information in here than in the Book of Dragons!"

I flipped through a few more pages, pausing when I saw a familiar picture. "This can't be right. That's the same Dragon I saw flying around our Island."

"Wait, really? I thought those were just random doodles of dragons," said Fishlegs. "Does he have any information on it?"

I read out loud, "This dragon is called the..."

_**"Chimera?"**_

Like the mythical Beast that had multiple animal parts?

_**"Speed: 18"**_

_**"Firepower: 20"**_

_**"Armor: 24"**_

_**"Intelligence: ...human?"**_

"What is that supposed to mean?" asked Fishlegs.

"I guess the dragon is as smart as we are. Let me keep reading."

_**"This Dragon quickly adapts to its environment it learns and copies from other dragons such as their abilities, it has even been known to copy the noises or sounds made by other dragons. It is arguably the fastest known dragon, only bested by a diving Night Fury, at least that what I've heard. It's firepower rivals a Deadly Nadder, while ****it's control**** is unmatched. This creature is not aggressive but has a temper if provoked. It travels from Island to Island to search for a new home. I'm still learning things about it."**_

"So, Ronde has seen this Dragon before," said Fishlegs.

"Apparently," I replied, "No mention of controlling dragons though. I guess that's good news, but that still doesn't explain how it could ignore Toothless."

"I guess we can think about it once this is all over," I muttered, "everyone on your dragons. We're leaving."

I looked over at my mother, noticing the contemplative look on her face.

"What's wrong Mom?" I asked.

"Nothing," she said. "it just feels like I've seen that book somewhere before."

She thinks she saw this book somewhere? "Do you know where?"

She thought for a moment, "I believe it was when I was a part of the Bewilderbeast nest. During feeding time one of our dragons noticed another Dragon just floating in the water. I went to go investigate and found a dragon that had scratches all over its body and a bad gash on its stomach. It almost bled to death. When we were able to get it out of the water, I noticed it had like a belt around its leg and tail holding a few things, such as a book similar to that."

"What happened to that dragon? Did it look like the one in this book?"

She examined the book and said, "It somewhat resembled that but some features are off. Then again, the Dragon that we took out of the water was a species I've never seen before so it may very well be the same one. As for what happened to it, it woke up three days later looking like a brand new dragon. There were no scratches on it, and the gash had completely healed. It wasn't aggressive towards me, but every time I try to go near it or examine the items around it the dragon would get extremely defensive. I assume it was because it knew a human and that was his riders' stuff. It always had a weird interaction with the Bewilderbeast, too."

"What do you mean weird?"

"The dragon wouldn't bow at first, I wasn't sure if it was because of its injuries or because it just refused to, But after a while dared to fly down towards the King's resting space and it seemed to have a conversation with him. After everything was over, it decided to bow but," she chuckled, "every time it tried to bow it would faceplant into the ground. The King found that amusing."

"Do you know how long ago this was mom?"

She thought for a moment and said, "I believe it was between 3 and 5 years ago."

"I don't know why, but I think Ronde and this dragon are connected somehow," I said after a few seconds.

"You think this boy is that dragons rider?" my mom asked.

"Yes. That or he's just chasing it to discover more secrets about it."

"Hey, guys!" Yelled Snotlout, "the more time we waste here talking about the good old days, the farther Astrid and her kidnapper get away from us!"

"He's right," I said, "Try to remember more about that dragon, mom. I might just read the rest of his book while we're chasing them. Let's go guys."

"Right."

Ronde (POV)

It's finally getting dark, and we're almost to the island. Stormfly was faster than I had expected. That's the first time in my life that I've been happy that I made a miscalculation. But then again, if this were true, I can only imagine that the chief and possibly his other friends are not far behind us.

I turned towards Astrid and said, "The island is just up ahead. There's a place there that we can land without having to worry about dragons or dragon hunters."

"Okay", is all she said to me.

We landed over a Cliffside near the edge of the island. I'm not sure if Astrid can see it, but there were still Dragon Hunter ships just off the coastline.

The moment we touched down, I felt something was off. Something's missing. I thought for a moment.

"It's too quiet," I said out loud.

"What do you mean?" asked Astrid.

"I should be able to at least hear chirps or Wings flapping around the trees by other dragons. There's nothing!" They captured more dragons than I thought possible.

I ran towards the edge of the cliff and what I saw horrified me. There was a small Armada of Dragon Hunter ships. The bigger ones were closer to the island in order for easier loading of dragons, while the smaller ships were just behind them, waiting to carry the army of men.

"My home..."

Even Astrid follow me and gasped. "Look at all those dragons."

Some of the Dragon Hunters had the nerve to build camps around the beach, and right next to those camps were cages filled to the brim with dragons, all muzzled and most tied up.

I backed up from the horrifying sight. "I should have done more, I should have found help faster." I almost broke down into tears.

Before I could, Stormfly nuzzled up against me to calm my nerves. "I don't know what to do," I said. "I can't save all of them!"

Astrid walks towards me and told me, "We need to wait for Hiccup. He'll know what to do."

"He'll just attack me." I retorted, "I kidnapped you! I doubt they will be friendly towards me or believe anything I say."

She pauses for a moment and said, "Let me do the talking then. They'll believe me."

I looked up at her in shock, "Why would you do that for me after all that I put you through?"

She turned around and looked off the Cliffside to where the Armada was, "I didn't believe you until we landed here. I couldn't believe that they were still this many Dragon Hunters still around after we defeated Drago Bludvist, and now, I can understand why you were so desperate. I guess what I'm saying is that if I were in your shoes, I probably would have done the same thing."

I was happy for a moment but then I thought to myself, "Wait a minute you didn't trust me after I gave you your boyfriend's weapon back?"

She turned to look back at me and said, "I didn't believe your story about this," She gestured towards the Cliffside, "but I believe that you are a nice, and very stupid, man for giving your hostage a weapon."

I look back at her and said, "Well at least you're honest."

She chuckled and so did I. "So how long do you think it would take them to reach us?" she asked me.

"Probably Within an hour or two. I thought it would take a day and a half to reach this place, but your dragon was faster than I thought. I know that they brought that boy named Fishlegs and his Gronckle. That type of dragon doesn't travel fast, and I'll doubt they would leave him behind, so I assumed they were all going to travel at the same pace as his dragon."

She looked at me and said, "You really did have all this planned out, didn't you?"

"As I told you, Astrid, I always have to think 3 steps..." (I heard something in the bushes, voices too young to be Dragon Hunters, heavy footsteps slowly approaching us).

"What's wrong?" Astrid asked.

(The whispers faded and I heard lots of footsteps spreading out to surround us).

"Your friends are here."


	7. Chapter 6 Reunion

**_Special Thanks to my Beta Reader Fantasia _****_Komix__ For fixing the grammar and other mistakes that I made when creating this chapter._**

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Ronde(POV)

"Your friends are here."

Astrid was shocked, "how do you know?"

"I'm hearing voices and distinct growls, they're not Dragon Hunters. It's so quiet in the forest that it would be impossible for me to not hear them".

"So, what are you about to do?" asked Astrid.

"I might just give you some space if they do decide to attack, they're after you not me," I said. "I might just inform them that I can see them."

"So," I backed away from Astrid and yelled, "Alright you can come out now I know you're there!"

It was silent, for a moment they stopped moving.

**_{Fuuuuuuush...}_**

Something was coming up on my right side behind me and I caught it. I looked to see what was in my hand. It was a tranquilizing dart.

"Plan B then!" I heard someone yell.

Before I knew it a Gronckle, a Nightmare, Zippleback and a Stormcutter with the Riders on top of them came out of nowhere and guarded themselves around Astrid.

Then the chief on top of his Sand Wrath landed right in front of me and snarled viciously at me. "Get Astrid away from here!" their chief shouted.

"Wait!" I screamed. I felt my anger about to take over. But before I had to chance to say what I was about to say his dragon shot a full power fire blast at me. I blocked it, the force of the blast knocked me over.

Burning was all I felt, it didn't hurt as much as I thought it was going to; it felt like putting your hands in hot water for too long until it got uncomfortable.

"Toothless, why did you do that?" scolded their chief. His dragon barked at him and then looked at me, still growling.

I stood up and felt my anger about to take hold of me. I wasn't angry at the fact that his Dragon shot me. I was angry because they were making so much noise and they could have alerted the Dragon Hunters below us.

I looked behind and saw that the dragons around Astrid were quivering in fear. Turning back, I stared at the dragon before me snarling at me viciously. Its head and spine were glowing electric blue. Before I could act, I saw Astrid watching with concern in her eyes.

I tried to calm myself down. it was hard, I hadn't been that close to snapping in a while. I tried to talk, "You're here now! Don't you want to see why I was so desperate enough to take her as a hostage?!" I can feel a growl escape my throat with each word.

I caught the look in his eyes. He went to ask if I was okay but hesitated because he thought I was the enemy.

I can still see the steam coming off my arms; the only thing his dragon managed to do was singe a few hairs.

"Hiccup!" screamed Astrid as she marched towards us. "Why did you tell Toothless to shoot him?"

"I didn't, he acted on his own," replied her boyfriend. "Toothless would never shoot a person unless he was provoked."

"He sees me as a threat," I informed him, still trying to calm myself down. "When I get too angry, every Dragon around me senses my rage. Most cases they fear me; others like your dragon attack me. I'm pretty sure you read my diary after all."

The chief looked at me. "What do you want?"

I tried my best not to feel irritated. I walked up to him face-to-face as his Dragon growled at me and said, "Look over to that edge over there and find out for yourself."

I stepped to the side to clear a path for him to see the edge.

"What are you doing Hiccup?!" Yelled Snotlout. "He's in no position to tell you what to do!"

Then he marched towards me and grabbed the front of my shirt, lifting me off the ground. "You heard what Fishlegs said. He's an outcast! Why would you trust him!"

My rage was already starting to build again the moment he called me an outcast. I said in a forced calm voice, "You have three seconds to put me down before I do something I might regret."

"3…"

"Please, what can you do!" he yelled at me.

"2…"

"Snotlout, maybe you should put him down. The dragons are starting to get scared again," yelled Fishlegs.

"1…"

"You guys worry too much, there's nothing he can-Gah!"

I grabbed his hand and twisted it to the point that he let go, then kicked him several feet away from me. He was gasping for air.

"Good that will shut him up for a while," I said. "Now, while that one's catching his breath, you guys should look over the edge too."

"Why would you do that?" asked Hiccup.

"Because he called me an outcast when you guys have no idea what happened or what I've been through for the past 7 years. It wasn't My Choice TO RUN AWAY FROM MY ONLY HOM-!" I realized that I was screaming, and I didn't want to reminisce on my pass.

Everyone was staring at me, even the dragons. "I can't take this anymore, I need some space," I said out loud while walking to the side of the area with no dragons or humans near.

Hiccup (POV)

After witnessing Ronde's outburst, I noticed how Toothless was still eyeing him, almost studying him to see if he would make a move. I still can't believe that Toothless shot him, but he's completely walking around as nothing happened to him. I mean, even Dad didn't...

"Hiccup," Astrid said, distracting me from my thoughts. "I don't excuse Ronde for what he just did to Snotlout. However, I do understand why he did what he did."

I was shocked. "Astrid, why would you-" she interrupted me.

"Hiccup, just look over there." She pointed to the edge.

I looked over the edge. A small Armada of ships were there. This sight reminded me of when Drago attack the nest of the former King of Dragons. All I could say was, "Oh my gods."

"There weren't that many when I left," I heard Ronde say. "They must have spread the word to the Warlords about the population of dragons on this island. Sending more fleets to capture more dragons."

I turned to him and inquired, "Why are they here? This is just too many to capture a bunch of dragons. What is on this island that is so important that this many ships would be here?"

He sighed and said, "You're right. I guess I should tell you the truth about this island but before I do, you must promise me two things."

"What are they?" I asked.

"You and your crew must not tell anyone about this island, even if your life depended on it," he said.

"Fine, what's the second one?"

"You help me free the dragons, ALL of the dragons, and drive those Hunters off my Island."

I almost said no but then I realize he does care a lot about dragons, his book proves that. And he's only trying to defend his home. I don't agree with the method he chose to drive us out of Berk, but I see now why he was so desperate for us to help him in a timely matter. "Even if I say yes, we don't have a plan, "I started.

"I have a plan," he said. "Now that you're all here and I know the abilities of your dragons, I know what roles to put you in to make this Rescue Mission work with no casualties whatsoever."

"How did you even-" he cut me off.

"I already thought of it while riding Astrid's dragon to this island. You're Sand Wrath, however, has a weird blast I never have seen from other dragons of his species."

"I'm sorry, my sand what?" I said confused.

"Your Dragon," he said.

My mother got off Cloudjumper and chuckled. "I can see why he's confused about your dragon; those two particular species do look alike."

He looked at my mother in shock, not from what she said but from…something else. He stared at my mother for a second before asking, "What do you mean he's not a Sand Wrath?"

"Toothless is not a sand whatever you call it, he's a Night Fury," I told him.

He went wide-eyed and stared at Toothless. "He's a Night Fury?" He began to walk towards him.

Toothless went back into his defensive posture, eyes turned to slits, a growl rumbling from deep in his throat at him. "Ronde, what are you doing?"

He Ignored me and continued walking towards Toothless until he got to his face. Toothless snarled viciously at him with his teeth bared. Ronde somehow managed to put his hand on top of Toothless's head and then his chin. At that moment, Toothless begin to calm down, eyes becoming round again.

I heard him whisper, "Now that you understand I'm not here to hurt you or your friends. I'm trying to rescue mine and with your help, you can save every dragon on this island, please."

Toothless did something unexpected. He pressed his forehead against Ronde's. "Thank you", was all he said.

I was baffled. "How did you do that?"

He turned and looked at me. "Astrid can explain that once this is all over, do we have a deal?" he said and stuck out his hand.

"It's a deal," I told him, extending my hand to shake his.

"Before I tell you the secrets of this island, I must tell you something about dragons," he began to explain. "Every Dragon nest must have a leader to keep the order or balance rather it be the strongest dragon or the biggest dragon. The dragon on this island is both and if those Hunters manage to take it off this island, injure it or kill it the whole ecosystem around this part of the archipelago will be out of whack. I know for a fact they won't be able to take it off this island, so I know they will kill it eventually."

"Wait a sec hold on", I tried stopping him. "What's so special about this Dragon, what even is the species of dragons Is it, anyway?"

He thought for a moment and said out loud, "I believe in your tongue it's called the Foreverwing. It takes up most of the space on this island."

I thought for a moment. "Wait, the legendary Foreverwing? A huge dragon that is the size of a mountain That's what's on this island?"

"Yeah, for all I know we could be standing on him right now," he said with a bit of a chuckle in his voice. "He makes up 60 or 70% of this island and I don't need him enraged and there's a good chance he'll wake up tomorrow or in the earliest hours of the morning to see all his dragons gone."

"So that's why you needed us to get here before morning?"

"Yeah, so now that you know, what are you going to do now?" he asked, a note of challenge in his voice.

I looked over at my group. They all seem to understand his situation, all of them with eager faces except for Snotlout, who was still on the ground gasping for air (he must have hit him harder than I thought).

"Alright gang, get ready, we are freeing these dragons tonight." I turned to Ronde. "So, tell us your plan."

"Oh, good, some action," said Tuffnut.

"We've been waiting six months for this," said Ruffnut.

"I need the riders of the Gronckle, Monstrous Nightmare-if he catches his breath, Zippleback, Stormcutter, and the Rumblehorn to take out the front ships of the Armada on the beach. Those ships are carrying the most dragons in their cages. Afterwards, move on to the ships in the back. Free as many dragons as you can and I'm more than positive once they're free, they would try to help you free the other dragons."

"That leaves you two, Astrid and Hiccup. You two will help me on the beach, strike some of the cages to free some of the dragons. I will stay on the ground and deal with the hunters."

"That's suicide, you can't deal with all those Hunters by yourself," I told him.

"Believe me or not I handled worse," he said to me, "plus we have the advantage it's dark out and if your Dragon is a Night Fury, that might make this job a bit easier. Strike the cages and provide me cover fire."

"Are you sure you can handle this by yourself on the ground?" I asked.

"Positive," he firmly said. "I need to cut loose anyway."

"So, when does this plan begin?"

"After Snotlout catches his breath and someone drops me off at the beach", he told me.

"Ok, it sounds like a plan."


	8. Chapter 7 The Plan part1

**_Special Thanks to my Beta Reader Fantasia _****_Komix__ For rewriting and expanding on the scenes within this and part 2 of this chapter and making the words flow much better. I do appreciate you helping with these chapters so Thank you again._**

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Ronde (POV)

The plan was about to begin. I was discussing countermeasures with Hiccup in case my first plan didn't work. I also told him that the Dragon Hunters always keep their dragon cages at the top of the boats. They didn't have time to put the dragons in their ship with this many. He kept trying to tell me that there had to be another way for me to fight those Hunters other than being grounded.

"Hiccup, I can handle myself on the ground," I told him. "I didn't have any dragons to help me or ride on before, so believe me when I say I can handle myself as long as you do your part."

"Are you sure there's no way I can talk you out of doing this?" he asked me.

I started to chuckle. "I'm honestly surprised that you're even worried about me after everything I put you through. You're too forgiving and I hope no one takes advantage of that one day."

Before he could say anything else, I turned to Astrid and told her, "Astrid you can give it to him now, I think he might need it."

She nodded and gave him his sword back.

He stared at me, his mouth gaping in shock. "You gave Astrid my weapon?"

"Yes, I did. Now let's get this plan started, and don't forget your roles. If we are discovered, rush in and save as many dragons as you can. Those of you on the boats, if you are caught, free the dragons first, then destroy the ships." I turned to Astrid. "Now you can drop me off to the far side of the beach where you won't be noticed."

I walked over towards her dragon, trying to prepare myself for the upcoming battle. I wasn't able to tell if I was shaking from fear, from excitement, or from where the Chief's 'Night Fury' shot me. Either way, I had to prepare myself.

I approached Stormfly and could already see the concern in her eyes. "It's okay, girl, I'll be fine, and as long as you guys do your part, everything should be okay." I tried to calm her by scratching underneath her chin.

She made a sad cooing noise and pressed her nose on my chest. "I'll be fine, I promise you," I reassured her.

"Astrid, come along." When she arrived, I told her, "Now remember, do not act until you either hear screaming, yelling, dragons roaring, or see a fire."

Astrid and I got on top of Stormfly and flew down towards the beach. "Astrid, please remember what I said. Your job is to help me with the Hunters and to try to free some of the dragons in their cages if you can."

"I know what my role is, but-" She eyed me and asked, "Are you okay?"

"I'll be fine, Astrid."

"No, not that." She winced. "Well, that has something to do with it, but I'm talking about you specifically, your arms. Are you okay?"

I laughed slightly. "I told you before: the undershirt that I'm wearing protects me from dragon fire."

"I just didn't believe it at first hand. We can use something like that in the future," she admitted.

"Yeah, I can see how that could be useful to you guys."

She continued, "And the way you got up after being blasted, it almost looked like you were about to fight Toothless."

I told her the truth. "When I'm angry beyond a certain point, I don't think, I just react. It's hard to just calm myself down."

"Well, I think everybody's like that sometimes," she told me.

"Not like me," I whispered.

We landed on the side of a beach where we couldn't be detected. I can smell the hunters even at this distance with a faint undertone of dragon blood. I tried my best to hide my anger when facing Astrid again.

"Astrid, when you get up there, tell them they can fly around but to not engage until they hear the noise of the battle." She nodded. Next, I faced her dragon. "Stormfly, I need two spine spikes from your tail." She understood and whipped her tail at the ground.

"What are those for?" Astrid asked me.

"To cut the ropes, break the locks, and to defend myself with," I told her. "I won't use them as weapons to harm the hunters (even though I should). For now, my goal is to sneak around, find some dragons in their cages, and set them free. Astrid, you can go now, I should be fine."

She climbed back on her dragon and looked back. "Just be careful," was all she said before flying back to the edge of the cliff.

I didn't know why I was shocked that she said that. 'I don't understand how these guys can be so forgiving this quickly.' I felt like I should have had to explain more to get them to this point. But instead, they continued to try to help me after everything I put them through. I wonder, 'Is it because of their love for the dragons or did they just relate to me for my struggle? This just reminds me of the time I went to that island when I ran away from home and met those...'

I'm getting off track. I need to start the plan.

I ran out of the bushes and stalked around the camp, hunting for where they kept the dragons. While I was sneaking around, I noticed that there were guards around certain areas of the campsite. I assumed that meant that they were protecting something important, possibly dragon cages. I waited for the guard to change shifts so I can sneak in. When the opportunity came, I slipped inside. What I found wasn't a dragon cage but something of almost as equal importance to the success of my plan.

It was a weapon tent, and while not all these weapons were the ones that they brought, this had to be a majority of it. It would make my job easier if the Hunters on the beach were defenseless. But I needed to find a way to set this place on fire without making too much noise. The first idea that came up was to start the fire by myself, but that will cost too much time and make too much noise. The second idea was to free one of the Dragons and tell it to light this place on fire, but I still didn't know where they are located.

Then it hit me. 'They have torches and lanterns all around the camp. All I need to do is find one.' I stepped out again without anybody noticing me, then slipped past a guard and found one of their resting areas that had a replacement torch waiting. I grabbed it and, making sure there wasn't anyone around to see me, I went back to the weapons tent. While searching around A Place to Start the Fire, I noticed weapon racks filled with swords, hammers, shields and…bows. The type of bows that look like the ones I used to practice with when I was younger. A memory tried to push itself to the front of my mind.

_**("That's right, my son, hold it like that and hit the target... yes, very good, you'll be an excellent Warrior and ruler when you're older…")**_

I shook off the memory and strategically lit certain locations inside the tent on fire. After the fire was to the point where I knew it was going to grow on its own, I snuck out of the weapons tent again and continue my search.

I further advanced towards the middle of the camp. When I got there, I began to hear grunts and growls. 'I must be getting closer to the place where they captured the dragons to move them to the ships,' I thought to myself. I finally made it to the place where I heard the noise and my suspicions were correct. It was where they were holding most of the dragons. I looked around to see if there were any guards (there weren't any). I ran to the closest dragon cage.

When I approached the cage, the dragon growled at me viciously. I ignored it. What I was focusing on was picking the lock with one of Stormfly's spikes. It didn't work. I tried to cut it, but quickly realized that would have taken too long. I had no other choice but to rip off the lock with my hands and brace myself for the sound.

I began pulling and twisting the lock. It took about eight seconds, but the lock finally broke. When it broke, it made of a loud weird thrumming noise that reverberated throughout the cage, startling the dragon.

I opened the cage and stepped inside. The dragon tried to snarl at me, but it wasn't able to do anything because of the muzzle on its snout. 'I couldn't trust it enough to take off the muzzle first. It could try to bite me or roar loudly enough to inform the guards that it's loose.' So, I decided to cut the rope around its legs and arms first. The dragon confusedly stared at me. I reached out my hand to touch the bottom of his chin and looked him in the eye. "You know me and I need you to trust me. I'm going to free you, but you need to stay in your cage until you see other dragons flying." He nodded to show he understood, then I removed his muzzle.

"Who's there!?"

Shoot! I was so distracted by helping this dragon that I neglected to listen for approaching guards! I hid in the dragon's shadow.

"I know you're there- what is this..." 'He must have noticed the broken lock,' I thought, my heart pounding with trepidation.

"I'll say this one more time: Who's there, come on out or I'll kill this dragon."

I couldn't take the risk. I know that he knows that one less dragon will not greatly affect the numbers of dragons that they collected. So I revealed myself.

"Who, me?" I chuckled (very nervously). "I'm just a random person in the background."

He gasped. "You again! How?"

"I thought I recognized that voice. You're that cowardly Dragon Hunter who's ship I stole the other day, aren't you? How's life treating you?" Maybe that wasn't a good idea.

He pulled out a small dagger and said, "I should kill you where you stand. We just got back hours ago after you stole my ship." 'Yep. Not a good idea. Glad that's cleared up,' I thought bitterly.

I started to walk towards him. For every three steps I took, he took one step back, his hand shaking as it raised the knife towards me. "Maybe you should have been a bread maker instead of capturing and killing my friends," I (mock) pondered, my finger tapping my chin as though that was a deep statement.

He laughed. "The dragons are your friends? They're nothing but mindless beasts."

My core blazed at this. I subtly lowered my hand, my dark eyes reflected as little black blots in his own. "The only mindless beasts I see are you and your buddies," I coldly retorted.

He lunged at me with his knife. I dodged it, then grabbed his wrist with my left hand and the back of his helmet with my right. With a twisting motion, I slammed his helmet into one of the nearest dragon cages and knocked him out. There was a vibrating noise that disoriented me for a second, but I shook it off.

'Now I need to free the rest of the dragons. I just hope the fire from the weapons tent got the others' attention.'

Hiccup (POV)

I tracked Ronde's progress with my telescope, updating the others on what he was doing.

As he knocked out a guard without causing a commotion, I felt a tinge of admiration at his skill.

'He's good at stealth, I see that now, the sight akin to watching an animal stalk its prey.'

"Anything going on, Hiccup?" Fishlegs asked me.

"So far, he hasn't gotten caught yet. He's freeing a couple of dragons right now. But I don't see a signal for us to engage just yet."

"What was the signal again?"

"He told us if we hear: 'screaming, yelling, dragon roaring or a fire.'"

"Then that might be a signal right there." Fishlegs gestured over the cliff.

I turned the telescope and looked at the area that he was pointing at. A huge tent was on fire with guards all around the trying to put the fire out. He was in that tent a few minutes ago, so he probably started the fire.

"Alright, people, that's the signal; remember your roles and let's go free those dragons."

We all hopped on our dragons. Astrid and I hovered over the camp out of sight while the others went to the boats.

I glanced at Astrid through the corner of my eye, guilt tearing at my gut.

"What?"

"I'm sorry, it's just-" I stammered. "I was just so worried about you. The way Ronde threatened you, I thought I was going to lose you."

"I know, I was scared too at first," she said. "Until he told me that everything he did at that point was a bluff, and then when he gave me your weapon. But I was still worried about you. I was afraid that you were going to do something stupid."

"Well, I was thinking about something a little crazy, but that doesn't matter right now."

"Yeah."

Fishlegs (POV)

When we landed on the boat, it didn't seem like we'd been spotted yet. We discussed whether we should separate or stick together.

"Guys, I think we should stick together until we free enough dragons," I told them. "If what Ronde said is true about the dragons helping us after they're freed, maybe we should separate when we've freed enough."

"I don't understand how any of you guys can trust him; he's an outsider," whispered Snotlout.

"Yes, but everything he said up to this point was true about this whole island being under attack," I replied. "No, I don't agree with the method he chose for taking Astrid, but I understand why he was so desperate to do it. And if you look at Astrid, she's perfectly fine; no harm came to her."

"What? You guys thought he was being serious when he took Astrid?" exclaimed Tuffnut. Ruffnut backed up her brother with a "Yeah, even I can tell he was bluffing."

"I mean, the string that he used to tie Astrid's hands. We used to get that stuff all the time from Trader Johann, you know, before he turned all murderous. We used to use it for pranks to scare people."

I and everyone else gave them confused looks. "Why didn't you tell us while we were flying over here?"

"We thought this was some sort of prank to get Hiccup off the island." As an afterthought, Tuffnut added, "Yeah, I mean, it's been six long months since we'd done anything exciting."

"So, let me get this straight," said Eret. "You think that the Army on the beach and the Armada of boats that we're standing on is some sort of prank?"

"No, we knew this wasn't a prank when we landed here, we just thought you guys caught on is all," said Ruffnut.

"Um, kids."

We all looked over to see that Hiccup's mother had already freed three dragons. "We're wasting time; let's get a move on."

Ronde (POV)

'It seems like the others got the signal; the plan is already in motion, so all I need to do now is to continue freeing the dragons on the beach. So far, since none of the hunters know what's going on, we still have the element of surprise.'

I finished freeing the few dragons in the middle of the camp. They all knew to stay put until the perfect opportunity for them to escape or to help arose. The cages were unlocked, but I don't need them to fly around and alert the other Hunters…not yet, anyway.

I needed to move on to the next site. I listened for any more grunts and growls…it's at a distance, but I can hear them. Then I heard a voice shout, "There's an intruder, sound the alarms and inform the others." 'Oh no! Even if I wanted to, I don't think there's enough time for me to stop them from informing the others. And I don't know where they're located! I don't have a choice I have to run to find those other cages.'

I told the dragons to start flying and help the others and they did.

"Did you see that?" exclaimed one of the Dragon Hunters. "They're escaping! And we don't even have any weapons to bring them down with!"

I sighed of relief. So it was a good thing that I found that weapons tent. 'The only weapons that they probably do have are the tiny daggers that they have around their belts as well as hammers, but I think I can handle that.'

I rushed in the shadows between the tents full of now empty cages. I found the source of the distress calls; it was another site filled with cages, only this time, the cages were guarded.

I dug in the sand, hoping to find a rock or something to distract them with. Luckily, I found some sort of seashell, so threw it at one of the cages. It broke on impact and the guards were distracted. The moment that they let their guards down, I rushed in, knocking out one of the guards with a kick to his face. Using the momentum of the kick, I rolled forward to kick the other guard in his stomach. Even if he wanted to scream, he couldn't because he was gasping for air, just like how Snotlout was.

"You'll never get away with this…" he whispered.

"I already have," I informed him before knocking him out with a punch to the helmet.

I was about to free the other dragons when I heard a horn go off.

_**{FHWOOOOOOOOOOO…}**_

'That must be their alarm. I have to hurry and free the rest of the dragons before reinforcements arrive.'


	9. Chapter 7 The Plan part2

**_Special Thanks to my Beta Reader Fantasia _****_Komix__ For rewriting and expanding on the scenes within part 2 as well._**

* * *

Fishlegs(POV)

'Although we've freed about thirty dragons, we're not even halfway done. However, what Ronde said was true; once we freed them, the dragons joined us in freeing the others.'

"I believe we've freed enough dragons to separate," I told everyone. "This is too many for one ship and we're sitting here asking to be shot."

"If that's the case, each one of us should take five dragons to accompany us while we're freeing the others on different ships," Hiccup's mother told the others.

"Should we blow up the ship first?" asked Tuffnut.

"No," I said. "That's only if we get caug-"

_**{FHWOOOOOOOOOOO…}**_

"I believe that was their alarm," said Eret with a forced casual tone. Right. "We should probably separate and get off the ship." I turned to the twins. "That means that you can blow up the ship now."

"YES!" yelled both of them. "Barf, Belch, let's give it to 'em."

Hiccup (POV)

"I believe that was the alarm, Astrid."

_**{BOOOOOOM!}**_

"What was that?" She yelped.

"Probably the twins," I sighed, shaking my head. "The enemy knows we're here, we've got to help out on the ground now."

"Right."

We dived straight down. Even from this distance, I saw Ronde having a tough time trying to free the dragons because of the Dragon Hunters closing in. I noted the unconscious men around him, but we had to help.

"Alright, bud, it's time to make our move. Plasma Blast!" I shouted.

Toothless shot the ground beside the group of Dragon Hunters, and the shockwave from the blast knocked them back from Ronde. Ronde took advantage of the explosion and incapacitated a few guards in the cloud of dust. He freed the remaining dragons and signaled me to come closer.

"There are more Dragon Hunters and dragons in their cages further up the beach!" he yelled. "Strike the guards and I'll take care of the cages! And don't worry about the weapons, they're completely defenseless right now!"

I understood, but how does he know they're defenseless? Oh…that huge tent that he burned had their weapons. I flew off in the direction he pointed out to us. While in the air, I looked down. To my amazement, he was running as fast as Toothless was flying.

I was amazed at first, but then I thought for a moment. 'What has he been through the past seven years to get him to this level of speed, strength, and strategy? He organized this whole plan and so far, nothing bad had happened. We've been caught, yes, but he foresaw that and came up with a counter plan. And now he's knocking out Dragon Hunters left and right like they're nothing. Maybe I should ask these questions when all this is over.'

It seemed like our roles were almost complete. Judging from the distance left for us to search, there were only a few more places where the caged dragons could be. We were approaching the end of the beach rather quickly.

I glanced at the Armada to check on the other part of the plan. The ships were on fire with hundreds of dragons hovering over them. 'Seems like everything is going smoothly on Fishlegs side of the plan.' I looked around and was relieved to see that Astrid and Stormfly were helping Ronde with the cages below. Toothless and I were in charge of keeping the guards at bay, and so far, we were succeeding. This went on until we reached the final campsite on the beach.

We freed the remaining dragons, and they joined the others in the harbor setting the ships and the Hunters on fire.

"Alright, we've freed most of the dragons on the beach, but there are probably some more on the ships," Ronde called out. "Go help Fishlegs and the others, I'll stay on the beach to make sure there aren't any more trapped dragons down here."

"I'll stay on the ground and help you," Astrid replied.

"No," he said. "I don't know if they're defenseless on the ships; they might have brought weapons. Your dragon can take out the Hunters at long-range thanks to her spines. When every dragon is off those ships, Hiccup, I need you and your friends to bring every dragon back to the beach and into the forest."

"I think Toothless and I can handle that by ourselves," I tried to tell him.

"Despite whatever you might believe, I need you to go help them out." He turned to Astrid." Go, please be safe."

We both got back on our dragons and flew away from him. We separated, and I found Fishlegs in the flock of dragons.

"So, what's the status?" I asked him.

"So far, so good", he reported. "Only a few dragons were injured, but nothing major, just scratches. And what Ronde said was true: the more dragons we freed, the more they wanted to help the others. And because of that, I believe we've almost rescued all of the dragons on the ships."

"That's wonderful, so where are the remaining?"

"We're checking out the last remaining ships in the back right now, but so far, we haven't found any dragons, but we just want to make sure."

My mother appeared right in front of us. "Hello, son, how are you and the boy doing?"

"We freed all the dragons on the beach with no casualties whatsoever," I reported.

My mother smiled. "That's great, we just finished freeing the last few dragons from the back. Hiccup, I think it's time to return these dragons to their home."

Toothless and I nodded, then turned to the battlefield.

Toothless roared to gather all the other dragons' attention, then gestured for them to follow before flying back to the beach. All the dragons that the others freed swarmed and flew around us, eager to go home. That was when I saw that the remaining Dragon Hunters were gathered around Ronde.

Ronde (POV)

So, while looking for any remaining cages, I managed to get myself surrounded by at least ten to fifteen Dragon Hunters.

"You're dead, BOY," one of the hunters snarled.

"Hm, you put a lot of emphasis on the word 'boy'. You would be singing a different tune if you knew what I am," I told them. "Besides, you're practically defenseless. You have no weapons."

"We don't need weapons to take you out, we outnumber you."

I smirked. "There's no strength in numbers when it comes to you guys," I retorted. Just then, I saw the others leading all the dragons towards the beach. As much as I wanted to admit that I wanted their help, I didn't need it.

"STOP!" I shouted.

Every dragon, including theirs, stopped in their tracks. Everybody, especially the Dragon Hunters, stared at me with confused expressions.

"What are you doing?!" Hiccup yelled, concern and anger fighting for dominance in his voice.

"I can take care of these guys myself, do not interfere!"

All the Dragon Hunters laughed at me. The leader stopped to tell me off (the nerve!). "You have the opportunity to save your life, yet you can't throw away your foolish pride."

"This has nothing to do with pride. This is about settling a debt that you and you men must pay."

I got down in a fighting stance and gestured to them confidently.

"Fight me, if you dare…"

Astrid (POV)

'He's going to get himself killed! We have to help him!'

"Come on, Stormfly!" I tried to spur her on, but she wouldn't move. She was focused on watching Ronde.

"Fishlegs!" I shouted to get his attention. "Why won't our dragons move? Why aren't any of the dragons moving?"

"They probably see this as a territorial dispute," he explained. "They see their island as Ronde's territory, and the Dragon Hunters, the Invaders of said territory. They don't want to get involved if he's telling them not to engage."

"What about you, Hiccup? Can Toothless fly to help him?"

"Toothless won't even budge," he answered with a tinge of frustration. "I believe our dragons think this is Ronde's fight now."

"Oh well, he got his final wish; we saved all the dragons," Snotlout flippantly said. "At least we can be entertained for a while."

"Really, Snotlout?" Hiccup glared at him.

"What it's not my fault he can't swallow his pride," He explained with yet another it's obvious face.

"Um, Guys..."

"I mean, you're the last person who should be talking about swallowing pride, Snotlout," snarked Tuffnut. "I second that," added his twin.

"Guys..."

"What is that supposed to mean!" Snotlout twisted to the twins. Luckily he couldn't fly over and confront them.

"Guys!" Fishlegs yelled exasperatedly.

"WHAT!?"

"Ronde's winning the fight."

"What?"

We looked down and that Ronde already knocked out four of the men. He was dodging the hunters' punches with ease, using their momentum to slam them into each other.

"How is he doing that?" I murmured, asking no one in particular.

"In his book, he did say he was practicing combat at a very young age," said Fishlegs. "And out of fifty students he placed at Number Five. If that's true, I'd hate to see what the other four can do."

"Wait, his book?" Then I remembered that Ronde did say he left his book on purpose for them to track us. "Wait a minute, you read his book?"

"Yeah, we wanted to see why he was so desperate to take you as a hostage and where you might have gone."

Ronde incapacitated two more Hunters with a punch, using the momentum of that motion to lead into a spin kick.

"Was there anything in it?" I asked.

"It was information about dragons he encountered and his diary."

"You read his diary?" But now I was curious because he never did explain his past and I wondered why. "How much did you read?"

"Up to the part where he was explaining about this girl that he liked that couldn't be a warrior and tried to kill him."

"He told me that story. Is there anything in there about his past?"

"At the beginning of his diary he said he was forced to leave his country at ten years old because of the way he was- I don't know what that means- and that his father would try to kill him if he returned."

I thought for a moment. Was it because of what he told me about how he can communicate with dragons? No, it had to be more than that, he could have lied about that to his family. "Wait a minute, he ran away at ten years old?"

"That's what he wrote, and we're assuming he's about sixteen or seventeen now."

Ronde eliminated all but one hunter that he was holding by the collar of his shirt. He lifted him off the ground and yelled, "Tell your buddies and the Warlords if they dare come to this island again, they're going to have to deal with me! Now get out of my sight and get off MY ISLAND!" He threw the guard down to the ground and the rat scrambled away.

He turned towards us and yelled, "Come on back! You can come back to the beach!"

Every Dragon seems to listen and came towards the beach. we all landed near Ronde.

He walked towards us. I noticed holes in his shirt, exposing an undershirt made of scales, but he had no scratches on his person. He stopped in front of us and said, "I didn't mean to scare you all, I just needed to make sure they knew that if they came back to this island, there will be repercussions." Then he closed his eyes. "There is no amount of gratitude that I can give you all for the deed that you have done today."

He got on his knees and bowed to us. "This is the best I can do and just say thank you for everything you've done. Even after everything I put you through, I'm so sorry. But you must understand I-" he cut himself off and looked around, frightened by something.

He looked over to the horizon and saw the sun coming up. "No, no, no, no, not now."

"What's the matter, we won, didn't we?" I asked.

All of a sudden, the ground began to shake and cracks began to form around the island.

"Ronde what's going on!?" asked Hiccup, the vibrations of the ground making his voice waver.

"He's awake."

"Who is?"

"The dragon, the King of this island, the Foreverwing."


	10. Chapter 8 The Foreverwing Awakens

**_Special Thanks to my Beta Reader Fantasia _****_Komix__ For rewriting and expanding on the scenes within this chapter, So Thank you once again._**

* * *

Ronde(POV)

The ground shook so violently that even the dragons had a hard time staying on their feet. I looked at the group and shouted, "You guys need to get out of here right now! It's no longer safe for you guys to be here, take the dragons and fly a safe distance away from this island!"

"But what about you?" shouted Hiccup. "You need to come with us!"

"Do not argue with me, listen to me or you won't leave this island unharmed. Now go!" I yelled at them. "Please, just go, the Foreverwing will go on a rampage and attack the hunters and you guys."

"But..."

"GO NOW!" I roared at them.

They all hesitated for a moment but finally decided to get on the dragons. All of them had a hard time because the ground was shaking, but they managed to fly off.

"Now I need to think of something," I thought out loud. 'I can't do it here, not in front of all these people. I need to find some way to get rid of these Hunters and get on the Foreverwing's good side. I doubt he'll recognize me.'

"Maybe I should let the Foreverwing just take care of the hunters, camps, and boats, and while all of them are scrambling, I'll try to calm him down. They don't have any weapons on their ships, they had an opportunity to use them on the dragons that were flying above them. Still, when this is all over, I need to calm him down."

Just as I said that, the ground tremored even more. A pair of giant wings rose, as though they had emerged from the ground.

"Huh. If those are the wings, judging from the way that they're facing, that means we were standing on his head while we were at the top of that mountain."

As I examined the mountain, I started to make out his face. His eyes were wide open, slits paper-thin, glaring towards at the beach- 'looking at me, the camps or the boats, either way, he's looking in this general direction with a very aggravated look on his face.' "This is going to be difficult."

Hiccup (POV)

We flew at least a mile away from the island and hovered, trying to see what's going on. I used my telescope to see what Ronde was doing. He was staring at something in fear. I realized the mountain that we were all on before the assault was shaking and moving.

"That's its head?" I shouted. "Is it possible that thing's bigger than the Bewilderbeast?"

"I can see why that thing's the king of the island," Fishlegs reported with awe. "It is the island! That maxes out the class 10!" He grinned, clearly already thinking of how he would classify and record it.

The dragon finally detached itself from the island, along with rock debris, dust, and part of the forest with it.

"GRROOOOOOOOOHH!" It roared. Even from this distance, its voice was a force itself.

"Hiccup, we have to get down there and help Ronde," screamed Astrid.

"No! Not yet," I told her. "Something tells me he already came up with a plan. Besides, I think it'd be better leaving that Dragon alone for the time being to take care of the hunters and the remaining boats."

"Are you willing to put his life on a feeling that you have?"

"No, I don't. But it was his choice to not come along with us," I replied with confidence I didn't have. "He chose to stay, so that means he must have a plan to stop that dragon or to at least calm it down. But if I notice things are getting out of hand, Toothless and I will go down there to see if we can do something."

"I hope you're right."

"I hope I'm right too." I pulled out my telescope again to see what Ronde was doing on the beach. It took me a while to find him, but he ran past the few remaining Dragon Hunters on the beach towards the remains of the forest and hid within the trees.

"He doesn't want to get caught up in the crossfire in what's about to happen on the beach."

Then the Foreverwing begin its assault. It used its giant claws to flick the remaining campsites on the beach towards the open ocean. Everything that was on the beach was gone in that single motion.

"Such force," Fishlegs whispered.

When it finished its assault on the beach, it turned its head towards the remaining Dragon Hunter ships and opened its mouth.

"Fishlegs, what's a Foreverwing's dragon fire?" I asked him.

"It's a mystery class, I don't know. The ones that we saw on Nepenthe Island were all spewing a lava-like substance out of their mouth."

Before I can respond, the Foreverwing spat all its fire into the front line of ships that were on the beach. The remaining ships in the back fled towards the open ocean, but the ones in the front were destroyed.

"Well, I guess that takes care of the hunters," Snotlout quickly stated. "Alright, let's go home."

"Not without Ronde!" yelled Astrid.

"Right, I forgot about that outcast. You sure he isn't dead, you saw what that dragon did to the beach."

Astrid turned towards me and forcefully asked, "Hiccup, do you see him on the beach?"

"I can't," I admitted. "The smoke from the ships is getting in the way."

"The only thing I can make out is the Dragon on the beach" '…wait a minute, it's staring at something on the beach.' I realized what the dragon could be staring at. "Ronde."

"Come on, bud, we got to go!" Toothless refused to move. "Toothless, come on, we have to save him!" He still wouldn't budge. And it wasn't just him, it was all the dragons from the island too.

I don't understand why any of the Dragon won't move.

I forlornly watched the beach. 'Ronde, don't die.'

Ronde (POV)

"I'm about to die," I told myself while climbing down the tree, then while I was walking towards the Foreverwing on the beach.

Even from the distance where I was, I saw anger, frustration, rage, and confusion swirl across his face. I could only imagine what he was thinking. 'Why are these humans here? Where are my dragons? Why is there a smell of blood and metal in the air? And who's this tiny human that's walking towards me?'

Even then, I was too terrified to look him dead in the eye. There was just so much anger there, but if I looked, I would have frozen in fear. But I continued to walk towards him.

When I was almost halfway there, he roared at me. "GROOOOOOOOH!" The voice itself forced me back a few inches.

I didn't know why, but my anger returned to me. While it wasn't to the point that it clouded my judgment, I knew it was there. I yelled at him.

"I KNOW! I DO NOT HAVE BUSINESS BEING HERE, BUT YOU KNOW ME! I WAS A PART OF YOUR NEST FOR ALMOST THREE YEARS NOW! YOU ALLOWED ME TO BE HERE WITH YOUR DRAGONS! TO BE A PART OF THIS FAMILY!"

The Foreverwing looked at me, confusion written all over his face. I knew he couldn't understand me, but I knew it sensed my pain and confusion for why he was acting this way towards me.

I got just close enough for him to see me without thinking I was intruding his space.

I tried my best to bow like a dragon so I could show him that I knew he was the alpha of this island.

The last thing I expected to happen happened. The Foreverwing moved closer towards me, head just above me in arm's reach, staring at me with curiousity.

I stood up, placing my hand underneath his chin so I can communicate with him. Emotions flooded through both of us: anger, fear, confusion, betrayal, understanding, and finally, acceptance.

I finally had the courage to look him in the eye. I softly asked, "Do you remember me now?" He made a low growl noise. Yes.

"Good. Now that I'm able to communicate with you, I need to tell you something important. First, your dragons are fine, they're flying a safe distance from the island to make sure they didn't get caught up in the crossfire. Second, there are Vikings on top of a few of those dragons up there, but they're not a part of this nest, they came to help free your dragons, so please don't attack them. And third, I'm not trying to tell you what to do, but you need to take these dragons away from this part of the archipelago to find a new island or continent to live on."

He made a low growling noise, his eyes narrowing as he glared at me.

"I know, but those Dragon Hunters will come back. If it wasn't for these Dragon Riders, you would have had a difficult time freeing your dragons without killing them."

"Please, this is for their protection. I know you can take care of yourself, but chances are high that if they were ever to be attacked again, you will be asleep and they won't be able to defend themselves."

He growled even louder this time, but then he stopped and finally understood what I was saying. He accepted my proposal reluctantly.

"Thank you. Call your dragons and head East, where there are mountain ranges that you can rest on and plenty of food, water, and shelter, with no Hunters or humans for thousands of miles." I pointed out the direction to him. "It's not even a day's flying from here, so you should be fine with your dragons."

He understood. The great dragon stood up and roared, grabbing the dragons' attention with an order to come towards him. "GRHOOOOHHH!"

The flock of dragons that had been keeping its distance from the island flew towards us. Some of them hovered over their Alpha while the others landed on the Beach, bowing to him.

As I turn around to see the remaining dragons in the sky, something blue came towards me at incredible speeds. I didn't even have time to react before it tackled me to the ground. I realized who it was.

"Stormfly?"

Astrid (POV)

Stormfly just knocked Ronde to the ground. Hard. I got off Stormfly to see if he was okay but then I heard laughing.

"Stormfly, I told you I'm not used to being tackled," he said while laughing. "I understand that you were worried about me, but please give me some space."

The others landed beside us. "Is he okay?" asked Fishlegs.

"Either he's laughing off his pain, or he's just fine," I replied.

He got up, brushing the dirt off his tunic as he said, "It's a little bit of both, but I think I'm-" He stopped mid-sentence to stare at something behind us.

A Giant Shadow swept over us and landed behind Ronde. To our surprise, it was a red Typhoomerang.

He gaped at the creature with shock before looking at us. He gestured towards the dragon before saying, "Could you guys give me a minute? I'll be right back."

He walked towards the Dragon, "Hey…how you been, Combus...oof!" The dragon head-butted him. Ronde stumbled a few inches before toppling.

"Yeah, I deserve that," he said while the Dragon was on top of him and roared in his face. "Yeah, yeah, I know I said I'd be back in a few days, but I ran into a Dragon Hunter ship and I had to find a way to convince these guys to come." He pointed at us. The Dragon stared us for a couple seconds, then looked back down to him.

The dragon finally got off Ronde and made a gesture for him to follow.

He stood up and said, "I can't go with you, Combustion."

I assumed that was the dragon's name.

The dragon tilted his head, confused as to why Ronde responded that way. He examined us, then his eyes popped like he had an idea. He turned around and made a gesture, telling Ronde to get on his back.

"No, I mean I can't go with you at all. I'm sorry," he said sadly. "Combustion, your Alpha's going to a new Island. It's no longer safe here, and I do believe it's my fault for why the hunters have discovered this island. I don't want to put any dragon through that again."

The dragon approached him, softly butting his chest and making a sad cooing noise. "I know, I'll miss you too. Once this whole situation blows over, I'll try it to come and find your nest, but for now, this is goodbye."

Just then, the Foreverwing began flapping its wings and roared. All the dragons that we rescued began to follow him.

I turned to the boy and yelled, "Ronde, the Foreverwing is leaving."

"I know," he replied. "Combustion, just go. I'll be fine, you know I'm a survivor, and those dragons are going to need your help if there are any eels where you are going."

The dragon slowly backed away from Ronde and flew off with the Foreverwing. The flock of dragons disappeared into the cloud cover in mere minutes.

Ronde turned towards us, tears trailing down his cheek unchecked. Everyone was silent, mulling over what just happened.

"Was that your dragon?" Hiccup asked, trying to break the silence.

"No," Ronde replied. "He was more than that. He was my best friend and helped me get through a dark time in my life."

He turned his eyes to the ground, sighed, then looked back at us. He said with finality, "I guess it's time for me to fulfill my part of that promise I made." He stepped forward and put his hands together, sticking them out to us.

"What are you doing?" I asked him, though it was obvious what his intentions were.

"Fulfilling the promise I made to you."

"What promise?" asked Hiccup.

His eyes were fixed on the ground as he said," I told Astrid that once this was finished, I would gladly go back to your village to pay for my crimes, for taking her against her will."

Everyone gasped. I was shocked. I completely forgot about that promise. And he had every opportunity to escape, so why didn't he? Did he really feel that much guilt?

"That's why I didn't fly off with the dragons. It just didn't feel right leaving without some sort of punishment for what I did."

"Ronde, you-" Ronde cut Hiccup off with a resigned look.

"Hiccup, don't." He calmly cast his glance across the island before telling us, "I'm finished either way. I can't survive on this island by myself with the dragons gone. And this way, I will feel like I wouldn't have gone to your village for free."

Everyone was silent.

Hiccup sighed. "Fine, Ronde you'll be put on trial tomorrow to face for your crimes."

I was shocked. "Hiccup?" But before I could finish my sentence, he turned around and gave me the (don't worry) face with a smile.

"Alright, people, we're done here. We're going back to Berk, and we better make it before nightfall."

Fishlegs(POV)

We made it back to Berk just as the sun reached a quarter from sunset. No one said anything during the ride back, especially Ronde. We had enough time to set everything up and to inform the village on the situation.

WE moved Ronde into a holding cell for tonight. Everybody else went home to rest, including me and Meatlug.

"Alright, Meatlug, about time we get some shut-eye, eh?" She growled in response. As I lied down, something fell out of my side pocket. I looked down at Ronde's book. My curiosity got the better of me again, for I had an hour before the sun goes down.

I flipped through the pages to see what he had on each of our dragons. He had some very interesting things to say about Nadders, Monstrous Nightmares, and other dragons, but the thing that surprised me was that he had a silhouette of a Night Fury. The only information he had on it was the color of the scales and information about its population being hunted to near extinction. But he had never actually seen one, just their shadows against the night sky.

Then I found the page with the Chimera dragon. I read the same information over and over, but it seems like I wasn't getting anywhere. He said that its intelligence was human. Does that mean it knows how to talk, read, or function like us? And how come he's only seen it? I mean there are probably many species of dragons that we haven't discovered, but why has he only seen it and why is it on this island? It can't be a coincidence that Ronde and this dragon decided to appear on the same day, right? 'Maybe I'll find something in his journal.' I flipped through to the parts that I hadn't read yet.

_**I don't know how long it's been since I last wrote, or how long I've been on this island, but I think it's been two, maybe three years. I lost track of the days, so I've just been counting the seasons, and so far, it's been two Winters but three Springs, so maybe two and a half years. I just don't know. But anyway, really nothing has been happening that's worth writing about, so I guess I've decided to just write about how I feel recently.**_

_**I feel lost, like I don't know what to do anymore. The natives, now my new family, have been very generous to me, teaching me things I never knew that I could do. But I feel like I'm a burden to them, taking up space within their home, an extra mouth to feed. They have two children which I consider to be my brother and sister and whom I love very much, and I'll protect them any way I can.**_

_**I almost have my emotions under control, but I still can't control my instincts. Sometimes I do things without even realizing I'm doing them. For example, the first few days after I met them they brought over some food for everyone but I hadn't eaten for two days since I left my country during that time. So, when they finally dropped off the food, something came over me and I don't remember what happened next, but the next day my adoptive father told me that I almost attacked his children and then him.**_

_**I was shocked because I usually don't attack people for no apparent reason, and I don't remember the events at all. And that idea scared me because if I attacked someone and they were seriously injured, I don't think I could forgive myself.**_

_**Another thing that's bothering me is that I miss that girl. I miss spending time with her even though she tried to kill me. She made up for it by spending time with me getting to know me. I think I like, like her. It would never work between us for many reasons: one is that I'm an outsider to her Village; if we were caught, I would be executed and she'd be banished and I couldn't let that happen to her. I tried my best to explain the situation to her, and she understood. We went our separate ways, but I miss her every day. Maybe one day I'll go back when I'm stronger and hopefully she's free, but right now, I need to survive for the both of us.**_

_**The last thing is that I think I should be on my own and find a new place to stay. This place is great, but I don't think they should be taken care of me for this long. I believe I'm self-efficient enough to get by on my own. But I don't want to say goodbye, for they've been a real family to me compared to my other one. The only person in my family that gave their attention when I needed it the most was my mother. She's the only reason why I miss my country. But these natives have treated me like I'm one of their own but something's missing in my life and I don't know what and how to find it.**_

_**This is Ronde signing off.**_

_**Ps, love is complicated.**_

'He loved someone so much that he had to let her go to protect her. Maybe he's not as bad as I thought he was. But what's with this talk about instincts? Was he talking about his reactions? I mean, he's not an animal. Maybe because he was young, he didn't know the word reaction, I don't know. I'll just ask him tomorrow when his trial is over.'

I heard thunder in the distance. 'It looks like a storm is coming, I better get some sleep.'


	11. Chapter 9 Custody-Trial

**_A Storm swept by Berk with heavy and freezing rain dropping the temperature below normal._**

Ronde (POV)

Cold...

It's cold...

I...can't...move.

Am I...going...to... die...like...this?

Why...is...it...so...cold...in... here?

I...need...warmth..."Help"...

I...need...heat..."somebody"...

I...need...to... get...out..." please"...

I...need..." help"...

I...need...to...change...before... I..."me"...

Oh, something or someone just laying next to me I can feel their warmth. They're wrapping themselves around me, I'm too tired to open my eyes but I placed my hand on whoever it was. "Thank you."... I drifted off to sleep.

Hiccups (POV)

I woke up with a banging on my door whoever it was must be in a rush. I went downstairs to see who it was; I open the door and it was "Astrid?"

"Hiccup we have a problem!" She told me.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa calm down what's the problem?"

"We can't find Stormfly or Hookfang!"

"Wait, what do you mean?"

"We've been looking for them for hours and we can't seem to find them."

I thought for a moment for places where they could be probably somewhere in the forest, by the looks of it there was a night's storm night, that might have frightened them. "Alright, me and Toothless well check from above to see if they're in the forest."

"Toothless come on bud we got to go."

(No response)

I walked back to my house "Toothless come on we have to-." There are no signs of Toothless in my house.

"Toothless. Toothless! he's gone! Where could you have...wait where's Ronde?"

"You don't think he took our dragons to you?"

"It's very likely he did, come on!"

We ran towards Berks holding the cell to see if what I said was true instead what we saw shocked us.

Hookfang was right next to the cell where we were holding Ronde and was asleep.

"Hookfang?" The dragon responded by opening its eyes. "What are you doing here?" Hookfang only responded by looking at Ronde's cell. That's when I noticed that the cell door was flung open.

"Oh no." My immediate reaction what's to see how he broke out. But instead of the cell being empty toothless and Stormfly was in there together huddling up around something.

"Toothless what are you doing?" Toothless only looked at me then got up started walking towards me. That's when I noticed Ronde was laying on Stormfly, side.

"He didn't break out the dragons broke in." Stated Astrid.

"I can see that but why?"

"Hiccup there's something you should probably know about Ronde."

She got my attention when she said that, then I asked, "What is it?"

"Ronde told me he can communicate with dragons."

I stared at her and I was baffled, "You mean like he can talk to them?"

She laughed, "I said the same thing to him, but he said no I'm still having a hard time trying to explain it."

"Wait a minute, so is that how he was able to calm down Toothless when we were on his island? And now that I think about it the flock of dragons, he was able to stop them as well."

"It would seem that way, that's why Stormfly didn't attack him when he threatened me, she didn't sense any malice intent from him."

I turned towards her, "Do you think that's why he left his home?"

"That might be a part of it but no, his people probably thought he was crazy but what you told me it was his father was the reason why he left."

"Because of the way he was? What does he even mean by that?"

"I don't know but I doubt he'll tell us; he hates discussing his past." She thought for a moment, "Maybe he did something that he's trying to forget. Or maybe he was forced to leave by someone or something."

"Astrid those are possible ideas but remember he ran away at 10 years of age for what his book told us. He doesn't seem to be a thief he doesn't have any valuables on him besides his book. And I don't think he'll actually hurt anybody besides those Hunters."

I looked towards Ronde he seems to be asleep still. "Maybe I'll just ask Fishlegs to see what's in this journal or his diary if he won't tell us maybe his book will."

I was about to walk out to see where Fishlegs was but then Astrid stop me. "Hiccup maybe there's a reason why he doesn't want to share his past with us. It might have been traumatizing for him, you saw how he reacted every time someone mentioned his pass. He would literally have some sort of mental breakdown, maybe he'll tell us on his own time when he trusts us more right now, we need to prepare for his so-called trial."

I sighed, "I suppose you're right. I suppose we should probably wake him; the trial starts later today there's not going to be that many people there."

We walked back to his cell he was still sleeping on Stormflys side, "Stormfly can you please wake him?" Ask Astrid.

She chirps in response and began nudging Ronde. He began to stir then said in a sleepy voice, "no...please...not...now...just...give...me...more...time...to...sleep...Sire."

Me and Astrid exchange look towards one another. "Sire? Who is that?"

Stormfly nudged him a little harder this time, his eyes were open and unfocused while looking up at Stormfly. "...Dam?...where am I?" His eyes began to focus more and more until realization struck him.

"Stormfly? how did you get...?" Then he looked towards us. "Right yesterday, I completely forgot about that." He began to stand up and that's what I noticed his shirt was starting to slide off towards his shoulder almost as if he's gotten smaller or his shirt was stretched.

"I must thank you for sending your dragons in here last night I could have died," Ronde said to us.

Both me and Astrid were shocked, "We didn't send our dragons to do anything we were just looking for them."

"Wait a minute then how-?" Toothless barked to get Ronde's attention. "It was you wasn't it, you must have heard or felt my distress." And he began to look around towards Stormfly and Hookfang. "You all must have heard it."

Now I'm confused, "How did you almost died last night?"

He was silent for a moment then said, "It was the storm last night, by the way, this place is structured I can tell that it doesn't keep heat in very well. I almost died by hypothermia, it was storming with freezing rain and the temperatures dropped very quickly I was begging for help, but no one came until your dragons showed up."

Then he looks towards me, "I know I did something wrong but did you have to keep me here during the storm all night?" Then he back away from us, "Were you trying to kill me?" He said with pain in his words.

"What no!" I tried to answer as quickly as possible, "We weren't even aware of how bad the storm was last night."

Now he was angry, "Well you should have, I may be your prisoner, but I do deserve respect Damn it!"

As soon as he was done yelling at me Stormfly went to go Nudge him in a friendly manner then he began to calm down.

He sighed, "I'm sorry, it's just the idea that no one heard me begging or crying for help and I would have died if it wasn't for your dragons, I should be grateful not expressing my rage towards you." Then he looks towards Hookfang, "And you, thank you for being the furnace in this place last night if you want to you can go." And with that Hookfang then tipped his head and left.

I was left baffled, "You really can talk to our dragons?"

"It's a little more complicated than that." He said while stroking Stormflys head.

"What happened to your shirt?" Astrid asks.

"Oh um... I guess the dragons we're pulling on it while they were trying to keep me warm. Oh, which reminds me before you banish me, hurt me or possibly kill me can I get some new pair of clothes?"

I was confused did he really think we were going to do that to him. "Ronde we don't do those things here, banishment Maybe but why do you think we're going to kill you?"

He was shocked and started to explain the reason why he was, "Because where I'm from if a person commits the same thing what I've done they were rather be executed or have their limbs cut off, usually both depending on the crime."

I was horrified trying to imagine that image. "Ronde I don't know what you have experienced during your childhood but you're safe here from those things."

"Then why am I here if you're going to banish me just banish me, I would have left last night."

"If you would have left last night you would have certainly died in that storm, but to answer your question why you are still here is because you said you wanted a trial so you're giving you one."

"I suppose but what about clothes?"

"I'll buy you some clothes at the store," said Astrid.

Ronde looks angry not at Astrid but something else, "Astrid you don't have to do that."

She turned around towards the exit and said, "I know, come on girl." Astrid and Stormfly left

I turn towards toothless, "Well bud I think it's around that time for us to set everything up to let's go." I was about to leave as well.

"WAIT!"

I turn around to see Ronde outside of his cell, "So you're just going to leave me here in a busted cell, free to roam around?"

"Yeah I am, I trust you enough to stay in here."

It wasn't anger in his face, but it was something, "I don't understand anyone anymore!" He looks me dead in my eye, "How can you be so trustworthy of a stranger who you're putting on trial, that has taken one of your own and endangers their life. I could be a spy or someone trying to earn your trust just a stab you in the back later why would you trust me?"

"Like I said I trust you enough to stay here, you had every opportunity to escape, to steal and kill but you decided not to. No, I do not approve of the way you decided to get our attention, but I understand why you were so desperate." I chuckled a little bit, "Plus if you are any of the things you just said you wouldn't have mentioned it so I trust you even more now."

"I don't get any of you people anymore." He said

"And I don't get how you could change moods so quickly one minute you're angry at me next minute you're happy then you're sad."

He sighed " I have a cap when it comes to my emotions that I must never go above and for the past few days you guys have to push me to my limits".Yesterday is when's your dragon shot me, the other when I almost died last night."

A spark lit up in my head, "That reminds me how did you not get hurt from Toothless's Plasma Blast."

he lifted his shirt to reveal his undershirt it had dark purple scales, "Because of the training that I had when I was younger and these dragon shed scales, it protects me from their fire."

"Fascinating so the training you had when you were younger must have been intense."

he didn't say anything he just looked at me and walk back towards his cell. It must be because I mentioned his past. "Ronde I-."

"Just go chief, I'll be here when you come back."

I didn't want to say anything to upset him, so I left with Toothless. We went to the middle of Berk to find Gobber. "Hey Las, is the kidnapper giving you any trouble?"

"No, it's just we couldn't find our dragons this morning and we found out they were helping him last night during the storm."

"What, helping him escape?"

"No, just helping him keep warm during the storm. I don't understand it myself but somehow they heard his distress he almost died last night for what he told us."

"Well we don't want him to die now do we, not before his trial, speaking of which what are we sentencing him to? You don't seem the type to banish him so what are you going to do with him?"

"I was thinking about maybe putting him on some type of community service to help us build our village."

"Ahh I see, hard labor we could use a few extra hands to help us create a few new buildings."

"Yeah he's really good with his hands he took out about 30 Dragon Hunters by himself."

"Hiccup don't you think that's a wee bit of an over-exaggeration?"

"I'm not exaggerating I'm being serious Gobber. he's good at stealth and combat I noticed that while we were on that island, he was even surrounded by 20 of them and beat them all without a scratch."

"Las that's not possible especially for a kid."

"Gobber you can ask my mother, Eret and everyone else that was in that group they saw too."

"Maybe I will during the trial but right now we need to get everything set up in the Great Hall. there's going to be at least 15 people to come especially our Elder to judge if he's lying about anything he says."

"Yeah, let's go."

Astrid's (POV)

After buying Ronde some new close his trial had started it was fairly quick with only a few people there. Ronde was explaining the whole situation with me and him and the island full of Dragon Hunters. But every time someone tries to ask where he was from or why he was away from his home he was completely silent then said, "It doesn't matter where I'm from I'm not going back there." He also tried to calm himself when people were asking about his past, but he refused to answer any of them.

After everything was said and done Hiccup sentence Ronde to a week of hard labor. Ronde was shocked and was about to say something, but he remained quiet, meanwhile, everyone else was dismissed and headed back to the Village.

I went to go see Ronde who was later free, "Well you're trial it's over what are you going to do now?" I asked him.

"Well for starters I'm getting something to eat, I haven't eaten since we were on an island" then he starts walking towards hiccup, second, I got to find out where I'm sleeping because I'm not going back into that prison cell during the night.

"Oh, that might be a problem." Berk doesn't have any places where guess can sleep, he can't sleep in my house because of my parents.

He sighed, "it's fine I'll find somewhere to sleep I might sleep here, or I might just go back to the boat that I stole."

"That's a long walk are you sure you want to do that?" I tried to reassure him.

"It's better than freezing to death but I might just stay here." Then he clenched his stomach in pain, "But I can really use some food right now."

"Right, what do you want?"

"If you have any, just a few slightly roasted fish and whatever meat food that you have."

"Alright" I went to the Great Halls cook and ordered the food that he wanted. It took around 10 minutes for him to cook but it was done he gave me the tray of food and I went to go deliver it to Ronde.

"Wait, stop right there just place the food at the end of the table." He told me, I was confused and shocked when he said that. He must have noticed it too then, he said, "It has nothing to do with you it's just..." he paused for a moment, "I'm not sure the others told you because I know that they read my diary but I can't completely control my emotions and I can't think straight when it happens, last time I was this hungry when someone brought me some food I almost...attacked them."

I was shocked when he was explaining this, "Okay, I'll just set it right here, grab it when you feel more comfortable." I was about to leave but then he called my name.

"Astrid."

I turned around to see him "yeah."

"I'm...sorry for everything I have done to you."

I sighed then, I walked towards him and punched him on the shoulder, "That's for scaring and kidnapping me."

Then he was confused and stood up, " That's what I was apologizing for."

And I hug them patting him on the back, "This is for everything else, I already told you that I forgive you and I understand why you did what you had to do just don't do it again alright." Then I got off of him.

"Alright, thank you. I'll make it up to you one day."

I left the Great Hall; the sun seems to be setting, I don't even realize the day has gone by so fast.

Hiccups (POV)

"So, what do you think Elder?"

She began writing on the ground then Gobber translated. "She says, He's lying and he's going to kill us all?"

"What?"

The Elder bangs him on the head tells him to look again.

"He doesn't seem to be lying at all." Then the Elder began to write again.

"But there's something different and off about him."

I was confused, "What do you mean different and off?"

She began writing again. "He seems to have a strong connection with dragons almost like he is one of them."

"Well, that's probably because he's been living with them for almost seven years now, for what his book told us."

She started writing again, "That may be true, but I didn't sense the same thing when it came to your mother when she's been living with them for 20 years. He's just very different for what I've seen in my years as an elder."

"So, he's that different just by spending time with dragons?"

She shook her head saying no and began to write again, "There's something about him specifically that is different from any person I made contact with, He's not normal in the body but he seems to be broken in the mind like something traumatizing has happened to him."

"He said his father tried to kill him when he was younger and he had to run away, and for what his book told us he was 10 years old at the time does that have something to do with it?"

She looks shocked and begins to write again, "That might be why he seems to be broken into in the mind, to experience that is such a young age, but that still doesn't explain his body."

"What do you mean his body? Like his complexion?"

She shook her head saying no, "He's from the opposite side of the world I can tell that much but there's something more that I can't explain I can only see."

and with that, the Elder went back inside our house.

"Wait, Gobber what is she mean by he's from the opposite side of the world?"

"It means he's from the other side of the world, I and your father had traveled there a few times before you were born, it's was hot but beautiful over there."

"Are there any tribes are natives that you guys ran into."

"not going to lie to you las I don't remember."

"Of course, you don't well when something jogs your memory could you please let me know."

"I will, but right now I'm going to bed you should too, tomorrow we are getting ready to build our defenses and houses and we're going to put your little friend to work."

"Actually, Gobber he's going to work on cleaning the Great Hall first, he's also going to be doing small things with the dragons."

"You're probably right, trying to put a kid to handling our defense is probably a bad idea anyway, see you tomorrow then."

"You too."


	12. Chapter 10 Flight

**_Special Thanks to httydfangirl123 for checking the grammar and making the words in this chapter flow better then what it was before._**

* * *

Ronde(POV)

_I ran back home after a long day of playing and training, "Dam are you in here?" I asked as my voice echoed throughout our home._

_"Yes, little one, I am, you may come in." She responded._

_I walked into our home and noticed she was next to my brother and sister, they were asleep, "It is around that time isn't it?"_

_She smiled and said, "Yes, little ones like you need to rest so they can grow up big and strong."_

_I chuckled at that statement, "Dam, do you know where Sire is?"_

_"He went out to get some food for everyone, he should be back soon and when he gets here, I will wake everyone so we can eat together."_

_"Oh, okay," I said sadly._

_She must have noticed that I was sad and said, "What seems to be troubling you, little one?"_

_"I feel like I never had the chance to apologized to him after the little incident a few days ago when I almost attacked you all."_

_I lowered my head in shame, I did tell them I was sorry, but I felt like I should have done more to show them._

_"Come here, little one." She said to me._

_I walk towards her expecting her to hit me, but she didn't instead she nuzzled me. "After what you told me, little one, I'm not surprised about your actions. I was just surprised by your reactions, but I understand why you did it for what you told me you hadn't eaten in a while, you were not in your right mind so don't blame yourself."_

_I was so shocked by what she told me, and tears began to go down my face._

_"Little one, what's wrong? Why are there tiny streams of water coming out of your eyes?" She asked in concern. I started to laugh a little._

_"I'm just happy that you forgive me and understand how I feel."_

_I began to lay down next to her in a comfortable position getting ready to fall asleep, "Dam?"_

_She looked down towards me, "Yes, little one."_

_"Can you tell me the story of how the little dragon found its way home?"_

_She smiled, "Yes I think I can."_

_"There once was a little dragon just learning how to fly, his Sire and Dam were teaching him how to coordinate himself in the air. One day, however, there was a big gust of wind that blew away the little dragon far away from his home. The little dragon did not know how the world worked without his Sire and Dam. He didn't know how to fly, how to catch food or defend himself. He was alone in the world that he just didn't understand. While wandering in the woods he found a group of dragons of many different species, they welcomed him with Open Wings and claws teaching him how to fly, among other things. Months turn into years and the little dragon wasn't so little anymore; he was strong enough to look after himself._

_"He said goodbye to those who taught him and searched for his Sire and Dam. While searching for them he found a female dragon that was soon to be his mate, one day they flew together, they had strong feelings for each other so later that day they embraced one another. The male dragon loved his mate but the idea of his __Sire and Dam not knowing if he was alive or not haunted him. His mate understood his pain, so they went off together to find the ones he loved. Weeks later, he found the place where he was born. Unfortunately, his sire and Dam where nowhere to be found. Luckily, however, he picked up their scent and soon followed it._

_"He followed the trail towards the end of the world and found a great chasm in the middle of the ocean and in there was the home of the dragons. Not one species of dragons, no, little one, it was all of them. The chasms were so big that it took them days to find what they were looking for. The male dragon finally found his Sire and Dam, with a few additions to the family as well: they also had children. His mate had three beautiful hatchlings and he never felt such happiness in his life. They all lived within the chasm happily ever after."_

_"I must ask, little one, why do you like that story among the others I've told?"_

_"I like that story because I feel like I can relate to the little dragon's story and situation. It also gives me hope that one day maybe I'll find my place in this world."_

_"Is that so?" She asked me._

_"Yes, it also makes me feel loved when you tell it to me."_

_She tilted her head. "Loved?"_

_I sometimes forget she doesn't have a proper understanding of certain words, some words have the same meaning while others mean something different, "Loved, it's like the feeling that you get when you're right next to Sire or your children, I guess another way of saying it is very happy, no... warm... yeah, warm, you make me feel warm inside."_

_Her eyes widen in surprise, "Do you really think of me that way?" She asked me._

_I smile back towards her, "Yes I do, I do call you Dam after all just like your children."_

_She nuzzled me and I did the same to her. "Go to sleep, little one, Sire will be here soon, and I'll wake you when he gets here."_

_And with that, I laid down and went to sleep next to her._

I opened my eyes in shock. I was dreaming of a memory of when I was younger. Why was I dreaming about these things now? Was it because of Stormfly or Astrid? Or because of my experience of today's events? Either way, I hadn't thought of that memory in a long time.

Being in this village this long was really messing with my head and I needed some time to myself.

"Where am I?" I looked around at my environment. I was still in the place they call the Great Hall. "Did I sleep on the floor?" I noticed my voice was a little deeper than usual. Then I looked at my body I sighed. "It's good that no one is around to see me. This hasn't happened in a while. It's a really good thing that Astrid bought me some new clothes; these old ones just won't do anymore."

I stood up and scanned my environment. It seems I was the only one in here, that was good, and it was still dark in here. I went towards the front door to see if it was light outside. I cracked the door open so no one could see me. It was still dark outside but the Sun was just around the horizon, so it was early in the morning. "I guess I still have time to clean this place before everyone wakes up."

"Might as well take advantage of my current situation and just worried about clothes later." And with that, I began to clean the Great Hall.

(A few hours later.)

Hiccups(POV)

Toothless was knocking down my stuff to get my attention.

{Bang}

I got out bed, "...Why must you do that to get my attention Toothless?"

Toothless made a growling noise pointing his nose towards the door.

"Ok, I know you want to go on a morning flight, we just have to be quick before anyone sees us."

As we were walking down the stairs, I open the door to see that Gobber was standing in front of it.

"Does everyone know my sleep schedule now?" I said, exasperated.

"Lad, you're not going anywhere until we fix our village."

I tried to make a break for it but Gobber grabs the back of my shirt.

"Oh no, where do you think you're going?"

"Come on, Gobber, I just need an hour to fly with Toothless."

"No, Hiccup, you have a duty to your people. A chief must protect his own." He let me go and said: "I understand that you want to go flying but what if we were attacked, we will have no way to defend ourselves and our homes."

"Gobber, all I need is just 1 hour, please."

"I'm sorry, Hiccup, but we need to fix our defenses and build new homes since you guys keep bringing new dragons back to Berk every time you rescue them."

I sighed and looked towards Toothless, "I'm sorry, bud, we have to fly another time."

"You know, if it's too much of an issue, I could fly him for you if you want."

I turned around to see Ronde in a new pair of clothes, the ones Astrid bought him.

"Ronde? What are you doing here and what do you mean you can fly him?"

Gobber was next to say something, "Now, young man, you know we can't do that, you still have to clean the Great Hall and serve the rest of your sentence."

"Yeah, actually, that's why I'm here: to tell you that I'm done cleaning up the Great Hall and I was looking for other things to do."

"Wait, you're telling me you cleaned the entirety of the Great Hall? Said Gobber.

"Yeah, it only took me a few hours to clean it, I had an early start this morning."

"I'm sorry to say, but I just don't believe you."

"That's fine if you don't, but the job is done. If you want to see it for yourself, come with me."

We walked towards the Great Hall to see if what Ronde said was true. We opened the front door and to our surprise and shock, what he said was true: he had cleaned the Great Hall, but he also went above and beyond. He got to the poles, walls, and tables, even the floor was shining, and I'd never seen them shine before.

Gobber and I gasped in unison. "You did all this morning?" I asked him.

"Yeah, you told me to clean the Great Hall and that's what I did. What? Did I do something wrong?" He asked.

"NO, you did everything right!" Screamed Gobber, "Oh, the walls are so smooth! The poles, THE POLES' metal is no longer rusted! The floors, they're so clean you can eat off them!"

"Is he going to be okay?" Asked Ronde.

"That's just his way of approving of what you did. Anyway, nice job." Then I turned towards him. "How did you do all this?"

"Everything was easy except for cleaning the rust off the poles. I had to use Dragon saliva to fix that."

"What kind of dragon saliva?" I asked him.

"Hmm, it was between a Nadder and Monstrous Nightmare, they both have the same effect."

"Should I even ask how you knew that or...?"

He looked irritated and said: "Knowledge from where I'm from, let's go as far as that." Then he turned around towards Toothless, "As I said before if you're having trouble trying to find time to fly your dragon, I will kindly do it for you."

"As much as I'd like to, you don't know how to work the pedals, but then again I could put it on solo glide."

"I believe I can handle it without that, it's honestly not that difficult to envision how flight works for your dragon."

Then he began to walk towards toothless and was adjusting the pedals that go along with his tail fin.

"Yeah, this should be easy. Now then if you like, I'll kindly take him out right now if you want."

I thought for a moment. I did trust him enough to stay in this village and to take care of our dragons, but could I trust him enough to take care of my dragon? Toothless did save his life the other night so there's enough of a bond there but I just didn't know. How would I know if they crash or if he takes toothless far away?

I was just about to make my decision but then Astrid walked inside the Great Hall.

"Oh, my gods this place looks amazing!" she stated.

"I KNOW RIGHT!" Yelled Gobber.

I waved to get Astrid's attention and she came. "Hey Astrid, what's going on?"

She walked over to us and said: "Really nothing new. What are you two doing together?"

"I was just deciding if I should let Ronde ride Toothless for his morning flight," I told her.

I still didn't know whether or not I should let him go but if Astrid's here that meant I could...

"Ronde you can go, but first let me show you how to put his tail fin in Solo Glide." After showing him, Ronde hopped on toothless and began to fly away.

"I'm honestly surprised that you trust him enough to fly toothless." Said Astrid.

"Yeah, about that... could you go follow him on Stormfly."

She sighed, "Why am I not surprised? You don't trust him enough?"

"It's just to make sure he doesn't make a mistake while flying Toothless. I'm not 100% sure if he knows how to use his tail fin properly."

"I mean, you saw the way he took off, he seems pretty fine to me but okay I will travel a respected distance from him to see if he's doing okay."

"Thank you, Astrid."

Ronde(POV)

We were high enough in the sky for me to almost touch the clouds.

It'd been a while since I'd been this high in the sky, I hadn't realized that this Night Fury could move so fast in the air.

For every movement he took I knew what position to adjust the tail fin.

"Not bad for a stranger, huh, dragon?"

The Night Fury did something I did not expect it to do it gave me a toothless smile, then stuck its tongue out on the side of its head, enjoying the breeze.

I began to chuckle, "I know you're excited, I am too. The feeling that you get when the wind pushes past your scales and your wings, it's been a few days since I've been in the sky like this."

The dragon again looks back at me.

"I might join you here soon, but first I just want to enjoy this feeling of the wind blowing past me."

As I was looking at my surroundings, I noticed a blue blur towards the sea stacks moving at incredible speeds. At first, I thought it was a part of the ocean but then again, whatever it was, it wasn't blending in as well with the ocean.

"That is most definitely a dragon but...". It took me a moment to realize who it could have been. "Stormfly and Astrid! And here I was thinking I could have some time to myself. I just wanted 3 to 4 hours to have some fun or at least some time to myself."

Then I had an idea. "Hey, Night Fury." The dragon gave me his attention. "How fast can you fly?"

(4 hours later.)

Hiccups(POV)

It was in the middle of the afternoon and the sun was still up, but it would probably be dark within 2 hours.

"All right let's have a rundown: The stables are built, we built new houses while fixing the other ones and we finally got all the ice from the Bewilderbeast attack off the Island. That's everything off my list that I've done, what about yours, Gobber?"

"Let's see, we turned the metal from Drago's Dragon Army into weapons and armor, we built catapults and other weapons from your designs and schematics to defend ourselves with and finally we slightly expanded our village. That seems to be about everything that needs to be done".

"And it only took six months of work."

"Would have been quicker if you guys weren't hunting down small groups of Dragon Hunters and freeing the dragons."

"Wow, Gobber, did you really just take it there?"

"I'm just saying, lad."

"You know for a fact the fewer dragons the Dragon Hunters have the safer we are."

"No, the more dragons you save the bigger of a target we become,"

I sighed. "There's no point in having this argument right now. Anyway, what's next?"

"We wait for you to do something crazy or we wait for craziness to find us."

Just before I could respond, Astrid landed Stormfly right next to us. "Astrid? What are you doing here? Where's Ronde?" I asked, concerned.

"Hiccup, I-I-" She began stuttering her words, "I don't know."

I was shocked. "What do you mean you don't know?"

"I think he knew that we were following him. He began to increase his speed and we lost him in the mist around the sea stacks." She explained. "Stormfly can't track him, we lost him about 3 hours ago and lost his scent."

Now I was beginning to worry. Did he potentially fly off with Toothless off the island? I started to pace back and forth.

"Hiccup, it is a good and bad thing that we lost his scent."

I was confused. "How is that a good thing that you lost his scent?"

"It means he's still on the island somewhere. His scent is being masked by the surrounding scents on the island. If he was off the island, we would have found him."

I sighed from relief, he still on the island, good, but now we had to find him before anything else happens. "Alright, we'll have a search party right now. I'll go get my mother and Fishlegs and then we'll search across the island."

I turned towards Astrid. "Astrid, you must see if you can find his scent within the forest."

"Ok, I'll do that let's go, girl - whoa!" Stormfly lifted her head, sniffing the air. Then she ran towards the other side of the village, knocking Astrid off in the process.

I went to go pick up Astrid off the ground. "What was that all about?"

"Judging by her reaction I think Ronde is very close by, we should go follow her." She told me.

We were following Stormfly's trail which eventually led us to my house.

"I don't know why you're laughing at me, Night Fury, if I had known how to play that game you wouldn't have won." I heard Ronde say.

Both Ronde and Toothless were in front of my house and Stormfly was about to tackle Ronde.

"Wait, Stormfly don't - oof!" Stormfly tackled him to the ground and began nuzzling him. "Stormfly, how many times do I have to tell you? I appreciate the affection, but I don't like being tackled to the ground, please give me some space."

He got up and looked towards us, then sat back down near the front door. "I'm assuming you were looking for me?"

"Yes, we were. You were supposed to fly Toothless only for an hour," I said.

"I don't have control of your dragon. He wanted to fly longer, and I couldn't say no. And you didn't give me a time frame for how long I could fly your dragon." He stated

Astrid was the next to speak up, "Wait a minute, how did you know that we were looking for you?"

Ronde begins to chuckle and said, "You really think I didn't notice you flying below me? Your dragon may have blues scales, but she doesn't blend in well with the ocean."

"What were you doing that long with my dragon?" I asked him.

He began to rub the top of Toothless's head, "Well other than trying to build a friendship with your dragon, I just wanted to have some time to myself."

"A friendship?" Astrid asks.

"Yeah, he and I got off the wrong foot at the beginning as you saw when he shot me then he saved my life the other night." Then he looked at Stormfly, "And with your dragon of course, but I was trying to build something."

"But why with Toothless?" I asked.

"Well, he's obviously the Alpha of this island. All the dragons seem to listen to him, so I just wanted to make sure that I didn't seem like a threat in any way." Then he stood up, "Anyway, it's starting to get late. I should be on my way."

I stepped in front of him to stop him. "Hold on. We're not done with this conversation. Where are you going?"

"To find somewhere to sleep. I'm not sleeping in that prison and the floor in the Great Hall isn't that comfortable."

I was shocked. "You slept in the Great Hall? Why?"

"There's nowhere here for me to sleep. You don't have any houses for guests and I'm not going to ask anyone from your village if I can spend the night at their place. So, I've just been sleeping wherever the wind takes me."

"Is that why you had an early start this morning? To finish cleaning in the Great Hall?" I asked him.

"Actually... that was for another reason, but it doesn't matter."

"Look Ronde, we can find you somewhere to sleep but you need to tell me why you were gone that long. You're not telling me the full truth again."

He just sighed and said. "I just wanted time to myself, alright? As you probably know, I haven't been around civilization for a while now and I don't feel comfortable walking around in this village with all these people and Vikings to tell you the truth."

"What? You don't trust us or something?" Asked Astrid.

"No, it's nothing like that. I'm just not used to being around large groups of people for this long. It just makes me paranoid." He looked towards the sky and said: "I thought I could manage it but the longer I stayed the more paranoid I got so I just wanted to feel free for a few hours to clear my mind."

"But you've only been here for two and a half days is it really that bad?"

"Yeah pretty much, it's not you guys, it's just my experiences." He stated.

Astrid was the next one to speak up, "Look Ronde, how about this: you sleep at Hiccup's house tonight and we'll find a living arrangement for you tomorrow."

Both Ronde and I turned our heads towards her, and I said: "Whoa, whoa, whoa! Do I get a say in this? He has nowhere to sleep at my house."

Astrid smiled and said: "That's why you're coming over to my house for dinner tonight. I have a perfect place for you to sleep. Meanwhile, Ronde can sleep on your bed or where your father used to sleep."

Ronde then looked towards the ground, back at Astrid, then at me.

"Astrid, as much as I like the thought of you caring about my well-being, I'm not comfortable with that idea. You two can enjoy your dinner but I might just go back to my boat. I'll see you all in the Great Hall in the morning or the afternoon." He stated while walking off.

As he was walking off, I noticed how our dragons were eyeing him, not in a threatening manner but more out of concern.

"Well, I tried to keep them in a village, but I guess I can't blame him. If what he says is true, he's been living with dragons for almost half his life. I can see why he's probably not as comfortable around humans." Stated Astrid.

It was true what she said. He had an impression of dragons when he was younger, probably around those natives on his island when he ran away.

"He'll come around eventually. He just needs to get used to us more. But anyway, when were you going to tell me that we had a date?"

"I didn't say date, I said dinner and I was trying to tell you this morning but this whole situation happened."

"Yeah, yeah, you don't have to remind me. So, let's just get everything ready." I look back towards toothless, "Toothless you have to stay here for the night. I might come back to check on you but there's no place for you to sleep in Astrid's house."

And with that, Toothless made a grumbling noise, then went inside the house, but not before knocking me over with his tail. "What was that for?"

(A few minutes later.)

Ronde(POV)

The offer that Astrid had given me was very tempting, but I just didn't trust myself around people, especially when I'm asleep. I should have been more careful last night. If people had seen me, it would have been over. I knew these people meant well but I just couldn't trust them, even though they risked their lives for me. It was just hard with my current situation.'

This would have been a lot easier if he could have just banished me. I knew that he was nice, but this 'nice' wasn't helping. This Chief had some questionable methods that I didn't understand. How could he trust me so quickly? I hated that because if I made a mistake, it would be over.'

Yet this decision I was about to make could change all that. Should I go back to my ship and sleep there, or should I take the risk and sleep in the chief's house? The air was starting to get cold again, meaning the temperatures would drop below my liking and my boat was still a distance away.'

...

"Alright, I've made my decision, but I have to be careful about how I go about it."

(2 hours later.)

Hiccups(POV)

After finishing Astrid's meal, I was trying to decide whether I should spend the night here or go back to my house. The food was nice, but I was starting to get worried about Toothless.

Speaking of which, the moment I turned my head I saw Toothless go inside my house, which was weird. I could have sworn he was already inside the house, maybe he snuck out without me looking so I didn't think much of it.

"The food was great, my lady, but I'm starting to get worried about Toothless and since Ronde is not going to be in my house, I think I might just head back."

Astrid sighed, "Well I guess that was bound to happen. Anyway, I'll see you tomorrow, Hiccup."

I got up, went towards her and kissed her lips. "Don't look so down, I'll plan something exciting for us tomorrow."

"I'll hold you to that," she responded while giggling.

I walked back to my house and while opening the door I notice how Toothless was sleeping near the fireplace, which was odd. He always slept on the stone tab next to my bed. It must have been because I was away.

I walked upstairs, got into my bed and fell asleep.


	13. Chapter 11 Another Night Fury?

_**Special Thanks to my Beta Reader httydfangirl123 for editing this chapter and sending me updates as well.**_

* * *

Ronde (POV)

_I was standing on the beach looking over the horizon, reminiscing about my past. It'd been two weeks since I ran away from home and I already missed my mother and sisters, but I didn't think they'll miss me. Maybe my mother would, but my sisters would quickly get over it. My sisters were strong-willed they didn't let their emotions cloud their judgment - that's one thing I could admire from them._

_Then I heard footsteps approaching me from behind, I turned around to see who it was._

_"Oh, hello Sire," I could tell by his face that he was angry or worried, "What are you doing out here?"_

_He moved behind me and said: "Youngling, I should ask you the same thing, what are you doing out here? It's getting late and the others are getting worried."_

_"I'm sorry, I lost track of time. I just want to be by myself for a little bit," I told him._

_"Why would you want to be by yourself?"_

_"It just helps me think and process things about life. I mean no offense if you took it that way."_

_He stepped closer then sat down beside me. "Tell me, what is on your mind right now?" He asked me._

_I took a deep breath and said: "My family and my home."_

_He sighed in disgust, "Not this nonsense again. Just because those monsters raised you does not make them your family."_

_I was shocked that he said that, and I began to feel anger boil up inside of me._

_"You are not one of them. They probably stole you when you were born so when you first laid your eyes on them you thought they were your parents. You are very lucky to be alive."_

_He doesn't understand, I know this, but I could still feel my anger reaching a point where I was close to snapping._

_"Why do you continue to believe that you are one of them after you know what they do to us?"_

_"IT'S BECAUSE IT'S THE ONLY STORY THAT I HAVE!" I yelled at him, I didn't know who was more surprised, him or me, but I continued, "I know that you don't believe my story - it seems impossible but it's the truth. If I had a choice to change it or to lie about it, I would but I see no point."_

_I began to cry because I knew that no one in this world would understand my situation. I knew that Dam and the others wouldn't believe my story and I began to feel alone again._

_"No one could possibly understand what I'm going through which is why I wanted to be alone so I can have time to process this and make sure it doesn't bother me later." I looked towards him. "I know what they've done. I'm not proud of it, but they raised me to be what I am today."_

_I began to calm down and look towards the ocean again. "You don't have to believe my story but I know that you know that I feel lost and I don't know what to do about it."_

_I laid down on the soft sand of the beach when I felt something brush past me. I looked up and saw that Sire was wrapping himself around me. "Look, Youngling, I apologize if I offended you. Some of them probably meant something to you. I now realize some of them aren't bad if they raised you to be like this."_

_I was shocked. Why would he be apologizing even though I yelled at him?_

_He smiled and said: "You are kind, strong, brave and smart. For someone around your age to have those qualities is impressive. And another thing, I do believe in some parts of your story after you showed everyone the Giant Wooden Water Walker. I know that some parts of your story make sense."_

_He must be talking about the boat I stole to get here._

_"Th-thank you for at least trying to understand," I said to him._

_He smiled again and got up. "Come young one, everyone is worried and it's getting late."_

_I got up and we began walking back towards our home. Then guilt struck me because I yelled at him._

_I looked up at him. "Sire?"_

_He looked down at me._

_"I'm sorry for yelling at you. I need to learn how to control my emotions better but that's not an excuse, so again, I'm very sorry."_

_"Youngling?"_

_I look towards him "Yes?"_

_"Do you mind if I ask you a question?"_

_He had a question for me? "Sure."_

_"Why do you call me _Sire_? You know you're not one of my own. I am just asking because I'm curious."_

_I knew that he was going to ask that question one of these days. I just didn't know how to explain it._

_"I call you Sire because you treat me like I'm one of your own. You take care of me; you feed me and allow me to be a part of your home and family." I tried to choose my next words carefully, "You treated me more like a Sire than my actual one. When you were giving me that lecture, I knew it was out of concern instead of you talking down to me."_

_"I see, it pains me to hear you consider that monster your sire, even though he tried to kill you. Yet why do you still consider him to be that close to you?"_

_I sighed. "It's because he raised me." To tell the truth, it was more than that, but I knew he wouldn't believe me._

_"Young one, I understand yet at the same time I don't."_

_"That's my life for you." I started to chuckle. "Another reason why I call you Sire is because I know you care for my well-being and knowing that makes me feel...feel warm." (**Warm and** **loved ****have the same meaning in their language**)._

_"I see, well then let's go home. It's time to rest, Youngling."_

_"Ok...Sire."_

I woke up slowly on the wooden floor, I was trying to put myself in a comfortable position. "Another dream about a memory of my childhood," I mumble to myself. Then I looked at my hand and sighed. 'I guess I should go back to the Village and serve the rest of my time.' I thought to myself. I began to walk towards the door heading for the Great Hall.

**(A few minutes earlier.)**

Hiccups(POV)

I woke up feeling refreshed from the previous night with a clear mind. The first time in months I didn't have to work in the village. Although it was true that some things still needed to be worked on, I was mainly free for the day.

I sat up in my bed just to see Toothless in front of me on top of his stone tab. Surprising that he was still asleep. Usually, he was the one who would wake me up around this time. He must have been doing something last night. Then it hit me he was sneaking out last night when I caught him going back inside the house. "Might as well make us some breakfast since I have time."

I stood up, preparing to go downstairs until something caught my eye. Right next to the fireplace was some sort of black mass. As I was trying to walk down the steps, I noticed that the mass was breathing. "What is that?" As I was walking closer, I noticed it had scales and a tail wrapping around itself. It shifted, beginning to stretch its wings. It was obviously a dragon. "I've seen those wings before... that's impossible." I was now on the ground floor with this mysterious dragon and although the floorboard made a sound, it didn't wake the dragon.

I got close enough to make out some details "But this is impossible! I thought that he was the last one." But there was no doubt in my mind about the dragon that was in front of me. From its tail fin right next to its head to the wings, the spines on its back and the frills on its head: there was no doubt in my mind what was in front of me was another Night Fury.

"Oh, my gods," I whispered to myself. "He's not the only one." But where did he come from and why was he here inside my house? Wait a minute, how did I even know if this was a male? I'd never seen a female Night Fury before. But by the looks of it, it looked exactly like Toothless, only this dragon's scales were darker with lighter spots around its body. So chances were that it was a male.

I began to walk closer to the dragon. "But why is he here and... wait a minute... That might have not been Toothless I saw last night running into my house! It could have been this very dragon right here! And when I saw him last night next to the fireplace, I thought he was Toothless."

I noticed the dragon began to stir. "He's waking up!" I thought to myself. The dragon woke up slowly, stood up and then sat back down on its hind legs, making a rumbling sound. I tried my best not to move, the dragon seemed not to have noticed me yet. The dragon then looked at its claws for some odd reason and blew its breath. It then looked at the door and began to walk toward it.

I had a choice to either stop the wild dragon from leaving my house and alert it of my presence or let it roam free. I didn't have to think long because I slightly shifted my weight and the floor made a creaking noise. "Oh, come on."

The Night Fury turned its head towards me at lightning-fast speeds, its brown eyes widened with... horror? I was expecting anger, but I knew that look on toothless. Was it scared of me? The dragon started walking backwards away from me. I tried to talk to it. "It's okay, I won't hurt you." The Night Fury stopped dead in his tracks. He was right next to the door but carried on looking at me.

I slowly walked towards while saying: "It's okay, we're all friends here. Have you met Toothless, the dragon upstairs?"

Then the Night Fury did something unexpected it closed its eyes and blew its breath. "Did he just sigh from relief?" I thought to myself.

Then suddenly, the Night Fury crouched in a defensive position, snarling at me. Where did the anger come from suddenly? Now I was scared. "Uh, Toothless!"

I heard Toothless above me, growling and making strange noises towards the other Night Fury. But then the Night Fury began to growl, making the same strange noises that Toothless was making while still staring at me. My best guess as to what they were doing was communicating.

While they were going back and forth, the Night Fury's gaze was slowly leaving me and going onto Toothless. I tried to take advantage of the situation by putting my hands up showing the dragon that was unarmed while walking closer to it. "It's ok to calm down, I'm not going to hurt you."

That was a mistake. The dragon reverted his eyes towards me and opened his mouth. Then I heard a familiar whistling noise. "Oh, no Toothless!" I saw with horror that the dragon's mouth was beginning to glow purple - it was going to shoot a plasma blast at me. Just then, Toothless dropped from the first floor unto me, wrapping his wings around me for protection. Then we waited for the upcoming blast.

We waited but it never came. Instead, I heard a loud crash. Toothless unwrapped himself and when he did, I saw that my front door was flung open and broken. I quickly ran out the front door to see where the dragon could have gone. I looked around and saw that the dragon was flying towards the forest.

"What the heck was that all about?" I turned around to see Astrid walking towards my house. "Did you build Toothless another tailfin to let him fly by him-." She cut herself off when she saw Toothless emerge from my house.

Before she could respond, I climbed on Toothless' back while saying to her: "That was another night fury and I'm going to chase after it. If I cannot find it, I need you to get Stormfly and track its scent. When you find it, come meet me in the forest." Then I took off.

**(15 minutes later.)**

I had searched the majority of the areas where the Night Fury could have gone, but with no luck. There wasn't even anything to track it with, while it had obviously landed somewhere in this forest. Why else would have headed in this direction? Even Toothless was having a hard time finding this dragon. But wherever it was, there was beyond a shadow of a doubt the dragon was gone.

Just then, Astrid and Stormfly appeared. We just stared at each other for a few moments before I broke the silence. "I couldn't find the dragon. It has somehow eluded us and Toothless can't even track it. So how's your luck?"

"I believe we found its scent, but remember, Stormfly's sense of smell is not as strong as Eret's Rumblehorn, it is possible that the scent might be mixed with something else that can throw off the trail." She told me.

"So basically, the same situation that had happened yesterday with Ronde and Toothless."

"Similar to that, yes," She responded.

We followed Stormfly and she led us on a wild goose chase for another 15 minutes, but then we found a patch of black scales scattered throughout the forest. "It seems like we're on the right trail after all," I said out loud while picking up the scales. These scales were exactly like the ones that fell off Toothless, but as I looked closer, they give off a purple-ish shine while reflecting the sunlight. There was still black, however, which was odd. But the truth remained: these were Night Fury scales.

We continued to follow Stormfly until somehow, we wound up back in the village. "Did we just do a huge circle around Berk?" I asked Astrid.

"We might have just followed its tracks back to where it first came into our village, or it went through here recently But no one's seen it unless people thought it was probably Toothless and didn't pay attention." She responded. "But just in case, let's keep following her."

We continued to follow Stormfly to the Great Hall and she went inside. "Why is she going in there? Is she hungry?" We were about to go inside until we heard someone scream inside with the Great Hall.

"Wait, NO!" **{CRASH!}**

We quickly ran inside to see what was going on we saw a table flipped, food splattered on the ground and Stormfly cuddling with Ronde.

"Okay, Stormfly, at this point I'm really starting to get irritated. I appreciate the affection but again, I have my limits so please get off of me," Ronde said while trying not to raise his voice.

Stormfly quickly got off off him but still stood close to him. Meanwhile, Astrid and I walked closer to him. "What is going on here?" I asked Ronde

"Well good morning to you too," He said sarcastically "Other than a certain Dragon ruining my breakfast, nothing really. Why are you here this early?"

"We were tracking a dragon but somehow the scent got mixed up, possibly with yours, and we wound up here."

"Well, I did come back from my boat by walking through the forest. That's probably how the scent of mixed up so instead of following the dragon scent, you were probably following mine. I apologize for messing it up for you."

"It's not your fault, you didn't know."

"What kind of dragon are you chasing anyway? Why was it so important for you to find it?" He asked me.

"It was another Night Fury, like Toothless. I thought they were all gone but one appeared in my house last night, strangely enough. I assume that it was following Toothless' scent and wound up in my house."

"Yeah, but why is it important for you to find it"?

"I don't want Toothless to feel like he's the only one of his kind. I want him to feel like he has a family here." Then I looked at Toothless. "I'm going to find this dragon. Hopefully, it's still on the island.

"He seems pretty happy with the family he has right now, but do whatever you feel like is right and good luck finding the dragon." He chuckled while walking away. "To find a Night Fury you're going to need a team."

An idea popped into my head when he said that. "You're right Ronde, we do need a team and you're going to be a part of it."

He stopped and turned around. "Wait, what?"

"I'm actually surprised I haven't thought of it. Astrid, we'll check out the surrounding area to see if we can find a Night Fury or at least it scent. Meanwhile, the people that we're about to assign will stay on the island and check for us to see there's any sign of the dragon still being here."

"Hiccup, I was kidding. There's no way you can find that Night Fury if it's that fast. Chances are that he's already left the island and I don't want to leave the village just yet."

Shoot, he could have really helped. "That's fine, I guess I'll ask my mother and Eret for help."

"Hiccup, your mother, Eret, and Snotlout left because they found a new shipment of Dragon Hunter supplies, and wanted to stop them". Said Astrid. "They left this morning and they probably would have asked you for your help, but they assumed you were still busy with the village."

Darn, that would leave Fishlegs and the twins on the ground... wait a minute... "Why is Snotlout with my mother and Eret"?

"I think you know why," She said, a little bit of disgust in her voice.

"Oh."

"It's because he has a thing for the feral dragon lady, isn't it?" Ronde said.

Both me and Astrid remained quiet but I thought he got the message.

"I don't know if I should laugh or not. I feel bad for your mother."

"Wait, how do you know that nickname of my mom?" I asked.

"Eavesdropping some of the villagers who were talking about dating her."

"Anyway," Astrid said to change the subject, "Fishlegs might do it but he's been too occupied trying to find, I believe it's called, the Chimera dragon in the woods."

I didn't know how to describe the look on Ronde's face when she mentioned the name of the dragon. At first, it was anger, then relief, then shock. "What did you say he was looking for again?" He asked her.

"He said the Chimera dragon; he was looking for it in the woods. I believe it was the same dragon that we were looking for before we ran into you."

Ronde's face was unreadable for a moment then he exhaled and finally said. "I'll help you find this Night Fury, ONLY if the one you called Fishlegs returns my book. I can't believe I forgot about it."

Wow, a complete 180, he really wanted his book back. Before I had a chance to respond to his proposal he said angrily. "Tell him I want my book back before I do to him what I did to those Hunters on my island. I'll meet you guys near Hiccup's house to discuss a plan." Then he walked off.

"What was that all about? I understand that it is his book, but I didn't think he'd be that angry," I said out loud.

"I think it's more than that." Stated Astrid, "You guys were reading personal information in his diary. But then again, he knew that there was a chance that you were going to read it anyway. But something's bothering me about him."

"What do you mean?"

"Remember when we were discussing tracking a Night Fury and he gave us that quick explanation?"

"Yeah, why? What he said made sense,"

"My point, it made too much sense. The way he was explaining it almost seems like he had been prepared for us to ask him that question, how could he come up with an explanation that quick and that fast?"

I thought about it, then I realized she was right. He did explain that too perfectly, almost like he had been planning for it. "So, wait, why do you think he did it?"

"I don't know. Maybe he is the Night Fury rider or maybe he was trying to protect it from us. But one thing is clear: I don't think it was a coincidence that his scent got mixed up with the Night Fury."

"But wait, remember we were on this island. He didn't even know what Toothless was. He thought that Toothless was some sort of Sand Wraith dragon. I don't think he's the rider or anything."

"I don't know but some things are off about this whole situation".

"This whole situation doesn't make sense at all when it comes to that Night Fury. Why would a dragon come to my house? No, why would it come to this village with Vikings and weapons? It couldn't have known there were dragons unless it smelled them, but why would it come inside my house? To see Toothless? I don't think a dragon is desperate enough to make a bold move like that."

"And now Ronde is somewhat acting strangely".

"I'll ask Fishlegs to keep an eye on him while they're on the ground. If he does anything suspicious, Fishlegs will let us know."

"All right, let's get everything set up first."


	14. Chapter 12 The Chimera Dragon

_**Special Thanks to my Beta Reader httydfangirl123 for editing this chapter.**_

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Fishlegs(POV)

I didn't know why I had to be the one to look after the twins and Ronde while looking for another Night Fury. And now I'd heard that Ronde was very upset with me because I still had his book, even though I stopped reading his diary a while ago. He was just being too vague when it came to his stories and I thought he was doing it on purpose. On top of that, I had to report something to Astrid or Hiccup about any suspicious behavior coming from him.

Meanwhile, we'd been searching in a forest for about 15 minutes and we still hadn't found anything. We didn't have our dragons as there was no point of taking them if we were just going to be on the ground. However, if we managed to get in trouble we could use our dragon calls to get their attention. The only things we were looking for were tracks or scales but every time I turned around Ronde would give me a death stare and to say he didn't look scary would be a lie.

"Have we found anything yet? I'm tired of walking." Said Ruffnut.

"Why couldn't we bring our dragons?" Said Tuffnut.

"We can't bring our dragons because we didn't want to alert the Night Fury of our presence," I responded. "The dragons will make too much noise and remember, we can still call them to come to us during an emergency."

"And if we're lucky, we can possibly find the Chimera dragon in these woods."

I heard Ronde mumble something, but he was cut off by Tuffnut.

"So, we're basically out here on a wild-goose chase so we can find a dragon that might not be here?"

"No, because thanks to the notes in Ronde's book that I borrowed-."

"Stole," Ronde said cutting me off.

I tried to finish my thought. "Borrowed, the Chimera dragon most likely marks this place as its home."

"Don't pretend that you borrowed my book," He said, angrily

"You left it for us so we could find you and Astrid," I stated.

"Yes, that is true, but you could have given it back to me after my trial but instead you use it for your own gain and look at my personal information."

"I wouldn't use it just look at your personal information! I was interested in the dragon portions of your book."

"Really?" He said in a low deep voice. "If that were true how come you guys know that I was an outcast from my country? How do you know about the island I stayed on for a while when I was younger?" He started to walk towards me. "How do you know about the girl that I liked that tried to kill me?"

"I-I how did you-?"

"Astrid told me during my trial. I don't need everyone or anyone to know about my past, so once this is all over, GIVE ME MY BOOK BACK!" he said coldly. Then he turned around and took the lead and started walking off.

"Wow, he's really mad at you." Said Ruffnut.

"Yeah, I've seen people get annoyed with you, but mad? Never," Added her twin.

Ronde took the lead in finding some tracks and then I began to wonder. I knew I was wrong for reading portions of his diary but I just wanted to know more about why he ran away. Ever since I read the first portion of his diary I'd just been coming up with theories as to what he could have done but none of it made any sense. He ran away at 10 years old. He shouldn't have been capable of doing much damage to anything and he wasn't a thief. He didn't seem to be a liar and he was very honourable. He could have run away with the dragons to avoid his trial but he stayed. But why?

"Hold on..." Ronde said quietly.

"What is it?" I asked.

He pointed at the ground in front of us. "Look," What we saw was big claw marks prints on the ground.

"What are they? They don't look like Night Fury claw marks or paw prints?" I said.

"No, they belong to..." He didn't finish his sentence but he quickly got up and said: "Follow me, quickly." Then he sprinted away.

I didn't think he knew how fast he was but, either way, there was no way I could catch up with him. "Wait, slow down Ronde!" I wasn't sure if he heard me or chose to ignore me but at the speed he was going and with the wind blowing past his ears, it wouldn't surprise me if he didn't hear me.

We ran after him, but he was too fast and in just a matter of seconds, he had gone somewhere in the woods, following the trail.

"Did he forget that we can't run that fast?" Said Tuffnut, out of breath.

I was out of breath too, but if Ronde was excited about something, it was probably best if we followed him. "Guys, we should follow. The trail will eventually run into him."

We followed a trail for a good 5 minutes until something unexpected happened. While we were following it, the trail ended abruptly.

"Whatever it was, it must have flown off. But these prints are recent."

"But where's Ronde?" Asked Ruffnut.

"Probably still looking for whatever made these." I sighed in irritation. What was so important that he would run off like that? "Come on, guys let's keep-."

_**(SNAP!)**_

I didn't know if it was instinct or fear or something else entirely, but we all crouched down at the sound of that snap. It sounded like a tree branch.

"What was that...?" I whispered.

"Grauuunnnnn..." That sounded like a dragon.

I lifted my gaze to see what could have caused that noise. I couldn't completely make it out because of the shadows cast by the trees but whatever it was, it was big.

"Rharraaaaaa." This time it sounded different, but it was clearly a call from the same dragon.

"Whatever it is, it's clearly calling for something..." I was crawling closer so I can get a better look. I couldn't believe what I saw: a huge purple dragon. But I didn't recognize it. Then the dragon lowered its neck and I got a good look at its head. That's when I gasped out loud. This dragon was the same creature in Ronde's book, down to its purple scales, the claws, the horns on the side of its face, its eyebrows and finally the mane on top of its head. I didn't know any other dragon with fur but this was most definitely the Chimera dragon.

Once the Dragon heard my gasp its head quickly turned towards me and it began to back away from me, growling viciously. And because it knew that I was there, I stood up trying to calm it down. In Ronde's book, he said that the dragon is not aggressive unless it's provoked, so I put my arms in the air showing that I was unarmed.

"It's okay! I don't have anything on me that would do you any harm," I knew that the dragon couldn't understand me, but I knew from experience with our dragons that using a soothing voice helped to calm them down.

The dragon did calm down and stopped growling at me. However, it was still backing up away from me. I tried to follow it slowly, still holding my hands up. "If it's still scared, I wonder why it doesn't fly away. Is it injured?" I thought to myself.

The dragon stopped at the side of the tree, then backed up slightly behind the tree and sat on its hind legs. It seemed to have finally calmed down. I began to walk towards it but then it growled at me and I stopped. When I stop moving, it stopped growling. This was strange behaviour for a dragon.

I heard footsteps from behind me. I turned around to see the twins. "Whoa, what kind of a dragon is that?" Said Tuffnut.

"It's huge!" Added his twin.

The dragon moved slightly away from us, but still staying in the same place, watching us. The twins were right next to me so I walked forward and that's when I felt something underneath my foot.

_**(Snap)**_

Before I had a chance to realize what was happening, we were caught in the dragon trap net. "What just happened!?" I screamed. The net was made out of a metal-like fibre. It was rusted, indicating that this trap had been here for a while, but it was still fully operational. As the net was turning, I noticed that the dragon was still there in the same place, staring at us.

As it stared at us, I noticed how its eyes looked more like human eyes, except for the irises, which looked more like a dragon's. But why was he staring at us and why didn't they fly away when it heard the trap go off? Unless...

"It planed this!? The dragon must have known that the trap was here, and it lured us here!" That was the only explanation that I could think of. Why else would the dragon still be here? And now that I thought about it, it waited for the twins to get near me. That's why it stopped me before I sent off the trap.

The dragon continued to stare at us but this time it stood on its hind legs like a person, only using his tail for balance. It was clear that it could walk on two legs.

But I was still shocked by the fact that the dragon caught us in our trap. Then I remembered something in Ronde's book. He had said that the intelligence of this dragon was similar to ours. But it used one of our traps against us, did that not mean it was smarter?

"Did we just get outsmarted by a dragon?" I exclaimed aloud.

"No, you got outsmarted by a dragon. We just followed you and got caught in a trap that was set up for you," said Tuffnut.

Before I had a chance to respond I heard a noise coming from the Dragon. It was between a growl and the sound that a dragon makes when it's about to regurgitate food. I looked closer at the dragon. Its eyes were closed and its mouth was showing something like a smirk. It did this repeatedly until I realised what it was doing.

"Is the dragon laughing at us?" Or was it laughing at Tuffnut?

The moment I said this the Dragon stopped, using one of its claws to hold the top of the net while staring at us. "What is it doing?" I asked out loud to no one in particular.

The dragon then lifted its other claw so that it was slowly coming towards us. "Oh no, not like this." The dragon was about to kill us inside of the net. I closed my eyes, waiting for the impact.

I waited but instead of feeling an impact, I heard a grinding sound. When I opened my eyes, I saw that the dragon claws were close to my face. It wasn't trying to cut me but instead, it was trying to cut the ropes. "It's helping us - why?" The dragon didn't cut the ropes all the way but it made a hole big enough for me to escape. When it was done, the dragon backed away from us and turned its back towards us. And after it had looked at us one last time, it flew off.

It took me a few minutes to get the twins out the rope and land safely on the ground.

"What was that all about? It trapped us, then freed us and left." Said Ruffnut.

"I could be wrong, but I think it was trying to make more time for itself so it could escape from us," I stated

Just at that moment, I heard yelling: "Fishlegs! Ruff! Tuff! Where are you?"

When I turn my head, I saw Ronde in the distance. He ran towards us. "Didn't I say follow me?"

I didn't know if I should be happy or mad to see him, but I guessed I should explain it to him. "Ronde, I think you forget that most people can't run the same speed is you."

He scoffed under his breath and said: "Whatever, anyway, what's going on?"

"I believe we ran into the Chimera dragon, but things got complicated," I said.

"Well, too bad I couldn't see it. Darn it! Anyway, let's call your dragons to get in the air and..."

It took a few seconds, but I noticed he cut himself off distractedly. I looked at him and he looked off for a second. His eyes seemed to not really focus. "Ronde, are you okay?"

He didn't respond and then, all of a sudden, he was starting to shake and wobble back and forth. He fell forward on the ground, hard.

"Grahhh!" He screamed, clutching his chest. It seemed he was in pain, but it wasn't because of the fall. There was something else.

"Ronde, what wrong!?" I asked concerned

"Please... call your... dragons and... get me to your healer." It sounded like he was wheezing at every word. It scared me because I've never heard him out of breath before.

The twins and I did our dragon calls and they came a few minutes later. We picked up Ronde, placed him on the back of Barf and Belch, and we flew to Elder Gothi's home.

_(1 hour later.)_

Ronde(POV)

That's what I get for pushing myself today. 5 times within half a day I just need to be more careful when it comes to the future, this is the third-worst pain I've ever felt in my life.

They had me laid down on the elder's bed. While she examined me to see what was going on, I had a feeling what it was. I had never pushed myself this far before, so hopefully, it wasn't as bad I thought it was.

Astrid, Hiccup, Fishlegs, and I believe the man named Gobber, were in the same room as me while she still examining me.

"Elder, do you know what's wrong with him?" Asked Hiccup.

She began to scratch runes on the ground and the man named Gobber was reading them out loud. "It looks like muscle contractions, muscle soreness, and exhaustion but whatever it is, he needs to rest."

While everyone gasped in shock, I sighed of relief. I thought it was going to be worse than that.

Then Astrid looked at me and asked me: "What did you do?"

"I was tracking a trail and then I followed it but it led me on a wild-goose chase around the forest. I thought that the others were following me. I forgot how fast I can run. I was just so excited to see the Chimera dragon that I forgot all about them." I tried to point towards Fishlegs but I couldn't. I was just too exhausted. "I guess I just pushed myself too far."

"Believe him or not, that dragon is very intelligent, and it wouldn't surprise me if the dragon faked its trails two separate us." Said Fishlegs.

"I still can't believe the dragon was smart enough to trap you guys." Said Hiccup.

"And the strange part is that it waited for the twins to get near me so I could set off the trap. It backed away on purpose, knowing that I would try to follow it."

Then Hiccup turned towards me, "I have to know, how did you get this information about this dragon in your book?"

I looked away from Hiccup and said one single word "Home."

"And I know where that's going to go so I know you don't want to talk about it. Astrid and I will just leave. I will visit you tomorrow, okay?"

I didn't even look at him but I said "Alright."

"And before you go, I need to talk to you about something important. I'll meet you at your house later." Mentioned Gobber.

And with that, everyone began to leave but I had one thing on my conscience that I needed to let go.

"Fishlegs."

He turned around just before he left the room.

"I need to talk to you."

He looked scared and said: "Look if this is about your book, I'm very sorry that I kept it all this time. I was just curious about your story because you weren't willing to share, and I know that's wrong of me but-"

I had to cut him off before he said something that was going to make me angry. "Shut up and listen."

He stopped talking.

"First off, I like to say I'm sorry for treating you the way that I did this morning. I'm still trying to learn how to control my anger. But please understand this: I'm not angry about the fact that you took my book. I'm angry because you read my diary."

"I have a feeling I know why, but could you explain?" He asked me.

"I wrote those journal entries to calm my nerves, but I was writing them during a dark time of my life, a period of adjustment in which I had a hard time adapting for a few weeks during the first part of my journal. I kept writing because I was afraid that something would happen to me like going insane or losing my memory. I would have something to look back to."

I turn my head to look better in the eye and ask him. "How far did you read?"

"I read up to the part where you were deciding to leave your Island and your adopted parents."

Sire and Dam, I miss them so much. "I need you to promise me something Fishlegs."

"What is it?" He asked

"You can continue to read my book and jot down a few notes, but you must promise me that you will not read my diary any further than that."

He was shocked "Really?"

"Yes, just don't go overboard with the note-taking."

He was excited but then he looked at me with the weird expression on his face. "Ronde."

"What is it now?"

"Do you mind if I ask you a question about your past?"

Why were these people so interested in my past must they try to know everything? "Depending on the question I might answer it. What is it?"

"Why did you run away from your home?"

I tried to calm myself down. He knew why, but at the same time, he doesn't. I guessed I should answer this very carefully. "I'll tell you this much. I didn't do anything wrong. I wasn't a thief, I didn't do anything bad, but I couldn't stay there the way that... I... no, never mind I can't say."

He was about to say something but then I stopped him, "Look, something tells me that in the next few days you guys are going to figure it out by my slip up or by an event that is out of my power to control."

He looked confused but said: "I understand. I'll see you later then. Get well soon and thank you for letting me see your book." He said happily.

Once he left, I tried getting in a comfortable position on the Elders bed to fall asleep. "They're going to figure it out eventually I just can't find a way to explain myself to them when it does happen."

I went to sleep.

Hiccups (POV)

"Alright what's so important Gobber?"

He was shuffling back and forth nervously: "What I'm about to tell you could be good but bad."

"What is it?"

He handed me a scroll. "We got this today and, well, you should read it."

I opened it and read out loud: "To the chiefs, Kings or Queens, after much consideration, we have decided to have a day of peace. The tribes or kingdoms leaders and/or assistants will come to this meeting to discuss matters such as international trade, peace treaties among tribes and other issues. This meeting will take place in the peak of spring. It is recommended that the chief, leader, king or queen will come if you received this message. If you do not attend, we will see this as an act of treason and we will wage war upon your land. Any acts of violence during the meeting will also be considered treason. This is a day of peace: no violence and no bloodshed whatsoever during this day. If the chief is unable to come due to illness or for whatever other reasons, bring the assistant or second command to take his or her place, we will see you during the peak of spring."

The day of peace? Huh, sounds like another Meeting of Chiefs. "Well, I guess I'm going, and I should probably bring you along to,"

"Oh, nooo if they're going to be some tribes there, I might pick a fight so I'll stay here. Choose between a few of your buddies but I recommend not bringing Snotlout or the twins."

I thought for a moment. I would most definitely bring Astrid, possibly Fishlegs too, Ronde maybe. "Gobber, when is the peak of spring?"

He didn't answer me for a moment but then he put his one finger up from his hand. "In one week from today."

"But that's barely enough time to get everything prepared!"

"And if you look at the map, it seems like the island which they're holding this meeting is about two days away."

Now I was pacing back and forth. "Please tell me by boat."

"I'm sorry but probably by dragon, so you probably have to leave in 4 days, just to get an early start." He must have noticed my distress, my pacing back and forth and he said: "Hiccup, don't worry about the village. This is more important right now. I will look after the people with your mother. Just prepare yourself for the long journey."

"What choice do I have now? And I have to find out who I am taking and now I need to have a conversation with them. But it's all fine, we'll find out in a few days." Then I yawn. "But right now, I need to hit the hay and go to sleep. See you tomorrow, Gobber."

"Alright, lad, get some sleep. You're going to need it."

* * *

_(3rdPOV)_

Many miles away across the distant sea, on an island, a Dragon Hunter was entering Halls of the warlords.

"I'm sorry to inform you all that we failed. I'm capturing all those dragons on those islands."

"What do you mean you failed?" Yelled the warlords.

The Dragon Hunter quickly bowed his head in shame and said: "It was the boy again, and somehow he managed to tell the other Dragon Riders from Berk about our plan. They eluded us and they awakened the Foreverwing to destroy the remaining army on the island."

A female warlord stood up and said: "This boy that you speak of has been trouble for the past few months now. Why don't you just kill him or capture him?"

"I'm sorry, my queen, but that is simply impossible at this point. He took out 20 of our best soldiers at once by himself."

Another warlord stood up and yelled: "Are you telling me false tales or information about this troublemaker?"

"I'm sorry to tell you this but I have no reason to lie in the position that I am right now. I saw the whole thing with my own eyes. That kid is a monster."

"We needed a monster to take out a monster, which is why we needed those dragons and their leader the Foreverwing to help our cause the world domination," The female warlord said calmly. "I assume that the dragons are all gone from that island, correct?"

"Yes..."

"Then we have to make do with what we have right now," She turned towards the Dragon Hunter. "Send word to the Bog Burglars tribe that the price on the chief and his dragon's capture has doubled. And tell them to take him before the day of peace." Then she began to smile. "If we can take him out then we can let the neighbouring tribes do the rest for us. Now go send word quickly!"

"Y-Yes ma'am, I mean, my queen."


	15. Chapter 13 Target

**Special Thanks to my Beta Reader httydfangirl123 for editing this chapter.**

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Hiccups(POV)

It'd been three and a half days since the incident with the Night Fury and the Chimera Dragon. My door was fixed, and Ronde made a full recovery. Ronde spent the days up until now helping out the village by fixing houses and building new stables for the dragons. I was impressed by the way he was helping the dragons around the village, such as calming them down if there was an incident and he was helping the other Vikings and Riders to train them. Which was amazing to me because he could calm down the most aggressive of dragons within seconds. But as that day went on, it was late and once again, Ronde had no place to sleep. Astrid and I decided it would probably be for the best for him to sleep where Mildew used to live.

Mildew's house was used for storage, so it took us around an hour to get everything out of his house. Ronde agreed to stay there but first wanted cleaning supplies because he said the house smelled: "This place smells like something died and came back to life, spit and earwax, sweat, and shame with a hint of sheep." Then he looked towards me and Astrid. "I don't know who this Mildew person is but now I want to punch him repeatedly." After hours of cleaning the house, Ronde agreed he would stay there for the meantime.

Once we were done with cleaning the house, I had a conversation with Astrid about the day of peace and whether she was willing to come with me and she said yes. Now I needed to find out who was going to be the next person to travel with us. I was thinking Fishlegs, but he seems more interested in finding Chimera dragon in the woods and we needed to get there on time and the only way to do that would be to leave today. Besides, Fishlegs' Gronckle wasn't very fast. That would leave Ronde. I trusted him enough to come with me, he could also help me prove to the other nations the dragons aren't dangerous. He might not have a dragon of his own but he could ride the back of Stormfly with Astrid.

I already have everything planned out such as destinations for uninhabited islands we could rest at during the trip, enough food and water to sustain ourselves with and finally a clear path to lead us to our destination faster. The group that I decided to take would leave with me either tomorrow morning or afternoon. At that moment I was inside my house with Ronde playing a game similar to chess. He didn't know how to play at first but once I told him what each piece did he would beat me within 5 to 7 turns.

"I don't understand how you're so good at this game when you never played it before and I just taught you how to play it," I said.

He looked at the board and said: "It's not that hard if you put your mind to it, you have to think three steps ahead of your opponent and predict what moves are going to make the counteract those moves," He told me.

"Yes but you always take out my king rather than my queen which is an automatic loss for the person."

He had a grin on his face as he told me: "That's because you leave them in the open with no one to defend them with. During your 3rd or 5th turn, you always do that. Even if you don't realize it, you must always protect your king and queen."

"What do you mean I'll leave them in the open?" I asked him.

"There is a certain path or pattern that is too obvious for me to ignore. Your goal is obviously trying to take out as many of my soldiers as possible so you can get to my queen. However, during your assault, there is a certain path that you leave wide open and I take advantage of that. Each piece has a special skill or ability, and thanks to these skills I can take out the majority of your pawns with 1 individual piece to weaken your defences and go out towards your queen. That's my strategy."

I was baffled by what he was saying and I couldn't believe he had noticed this after only playing a few games with me. "You're thinking of this as an actual battle, aren't you?"

He began to chuckle and then he stood up and told me: "Like I told Astrid, I have to think of things in certain ways to understand them better." Then he breathed deeply and looked at the door. "Anyway, is there a reason why you invited me here other than playing a game with you? What do you need?"

"There's a trip that I need to go on to talk to other chiefs, leaders kings and queens about individual issues regarding the archipelago and beyond. I was wondering if you would come along with me?"

He looked at me with one eyebrow raised. "Why do you want me to go?"

"Well, I'm afraid that one of the discussions that they're going to bring up is a problem with dragons and I wanted you to help me show them that dragons are not dangerous."

By the look on his face, I couldn't tell whether he was angry or just irritated but before I spoke he told me: "Before I can answer I need to know something, then I need to tell you something."

This was weird. "Okay, what is it?"

"When you say kings or queens, do you mean other individuals outside of this archipelago?"

I was confused about why he was asking this. "The letter didn't specify who was coming but if it said kings or queens then that might be the case. Why do you ask?"

He sat back down and said: " I'll answer that question in a second, now I need to tell you this." He closed his eyes and exhaled again. "It is a mistake to tell people how dragons operate and showing them that they're not as aggressive as most individuals believe."

What he'd just said surprised me. "Why would you say that? Don't you think it will be better for people to know so they will stop hunting them?"

"Hiccup, I know your heart is in the right place but believe me when I say this. I lived with dragons for almost half my life. I know their nature and I know they do what they must to survive. But people are afraid of things they can't understand or control. This is how this war began in the first place: because individuals didn't understand one another. But when they do, people have a situation like the one you have here at Berk where people and dragons can coincide with one another."

I understood what he was saying but he just proved my point, even more. Wouldn't it be better for individuals to know that dragons aren't aggressive? "Ronde, I hear what you're saying but you're proving in my point even more."

He sighed. "Let me try again. Imagine that your plan did go through, telling all these individuals the dragons aren't aggressive and they can be tamed, do you know what would happen?"

"Yes, the war would be over and dragons will be at peace," I said.

"Wrong." He said. "Quite possibly some nations will take your advice but others will take advantage of certain dragons and individuals. These nations with train these dragons to be killers and monsters to have their way. Good dragons under the control of bad people do bad things and I have seen it with my own eyes."

"But that's why I want you to come with me: to show them! I understand what you're saying but-"

"Imagine if Drago Bludvist and his army had the same knowledge as you when it came to his Dragon Army. What do you think would have happened to the rest of the world?" He said.

I didn't even want to think about the devastation that would have caused.

"You can tell them that dragons aren't a real threat but you should not teach them how to control them or train them," He paused for a moment. "That being said I'll go with you.

Now I was confused. After everything he said, why would he go with me?

"But know this Hiccup, I'm only going there for support. I'm not going inside the place," He said in a serious tone.

"Then why go with me at all?" I asked.

He didn't answer right away but then he started scratching the back of his head. "It's very complicated but I'll tell you if you promise not to tell the others."

I didn't understand how it could be complicated but I guessed I'd have to hear him out. "Ok fine, what is it then?"

"This will answer your previous question, but I wanted to see if the king and queen from my country are there and if so, are they okay."

Wait, that's it? "I understand, but at the same time, I don't. Wouldn't it be better for you to come inside the place with me to see them?"

He sighed. "As I said, it's complicated. I'm afraid if I go inside they'll... recognize me."

Recognize him? Why would they recognize him? He told us he didn't do anything bad so I asked. "Why would they recognize you?"

"Look, I'm sorry, but I can't answer that. Just know they'll recognize me and they might take me back to my home. That's as far as I'm going to tell you."

The way he responded was questionable so I asked him a question: "Ronde, I'm not trying to upset you, but don't you want to go home to a place that you're familiar with? I'm not saying you're not allowed here, but you grew up there. Don't you want to go back to a place you call home?"

He was quiet for a moment and looked at me with an expression that I could say was full of pity and sorrow until he finally said: "I do want to go back to a place I call home... but the longer I think about that place, the more I realize it's no longer my home."

Before I had a chance to say anything else he cut me off and said: "Hiccup, I don't want to discuss this any further. Is there anything else you need to be done for today? If not, I'll take my leave."

There wasn't anything I could think, everything thus far had been completed but then again, he could help us with our weapon situation. "Actually, yes, there is something you can do for us."

"What is it this time?" He sounded a bit annoyed.

"Well, for starters, don't be mad at Fishlegs for what I'm about to say but he told us that according to your journal, you are good with weapons, correct?"

I could tell that he was mad even though he tried his best not to show it. "I haven't held a weapon and over 7 years but I did specialize in swords and bows when I was younger. Why do you ask?"

This was perfect because Gobber had made a new bow with an addition to make it easier for the wielder to hit its target. "We need your help testing a few about weapons, one of them is a bow and the sword. We have plenty of metal because Drago Bludvist's Dragon Army attacked us and we melted the metal that he used for his dragons armour into weapons. So what do you say, do you want to help us test these weapons?"

He thought it over for a moment, pacing back and forth, then he finally said: "I'll do it under one condition."

"Which is?" I asked.

"When this is all over, I want you to tell me the story of how you defeated Drago Bludvist." He said with a smile on his face.

"That's it?"

"Yes, I'm very curious as to how you did it when many others have tried and failed."

"You've got yourself a deal. Just meet me any place we train our dragons."

He walks towards my front door, opened it and said: "I'll meet you there in an hour, just get everything ready. I have something to take care of first."

"Alright see you there," I said, waving him goodbye.

Valka(POV)

There had been no Dragon Hunter activity reported by Eret yet so I had nothing to do except watch the children. But at that moment I was resting at home with Cloudjumper until I heard a knock on my door.

"You may come in," I said.

The door opened to reveal that it was the boy that we put on trial. "I hope I'm not interrupting something." He said nervously.

"No, not at all..um..." I had honestly forgotten his name so I took a guess. "Orond?"

He chuckled and said: "Ronde... just Ronde."

I was a little embarrassed about forgetting his name already. "I'm sorry, I just haven't heard or seen you since the day of your trial. Anyway, what brings you here?"

I didn't know why but he looked nervous and he refused to look at me as he put his hands in his pocket. "I just wanted to say... Thank you for everything you've done for me."

He must be talking about the incident that went on on his island. "Oh that, don't mention it, I doubt that you could take on those Dragon Hunters by yourself," I said while chuckling.

"No not that."

I stopped chuckling and gave him my attention. What could he be talking about then? A moment passed before I decided to break the silence. "Then what are you talking about?"

He paused for a moment then looked at me. "You probably don't know this but you saved my... my..." For some strange reason, he looked frustrated with himself. "No, nevermind, just know that I said thank you and I'm sorry." After he said that, he left.

Was it possible that this boy was confusing me with someone else? Did he know me? He didn't seem familiar but by his body language, I can tell he was nervous around me. Why? And what did I save?

Hiccups(POV)

We were all in the training ring testing out weapons, Astrid testing the axes on wooden targets and training dummies. "I still got it!" She screamed.

Snotlout and the Twins were testing out the crossbows and that might have been a mistake because they were playing with them instead of testing them. "Hey, careful where you point that thing!" screamed Snotlout.

Fishlegs was in charge of testing the density of the Hammers. He helped forge most of these hammers with Gronckle iron.

Our dragons were outside the ring playing with each other.

I, however, was at the front gate watching them and waiting for Ronde to appear.

Then I heard footsteps behind me. "Sorry it took me so long, I was having a conversation with someone."

I turned around to see it was Ronde and I was wondering what he was talking about. "Ronde, you're not late, you're actually here early."

"Really? I just assumed you were waiting for me at this gate."

"I was but I was thinking about my next project."

I was expecting him to ask me what it was but then he said: "Hmm well, good luck with that." Then he walked inside the ring.

I was surprised by his reaction. "Aren't you going to ask me what I'm working on since it might involve you?"

He turned around and looked at me with one eyebrow raised. "Nope, because I don't like being in other people's business and I expect people to do the same for me too." He said.

Before I had a chance to respond he said: "Before you say you're inviting me to know what it is, I don't want to know, so surprise me. Right now I'm here so I can test out these weapons so let's get this over with."

As we were walking towards the weapon stack to pick up one of the bows, Ronde noticed Snotlout and the Twins playing with the crossbows. "Hiccup,"

I turned around to see him with the nervous look on his face. "Yeah?"

"Are you sure it's a good idea to let them test out the crossb-?"

The moment he stopped talking was the same moment I heard a whistling noise coming towards us. Before I had a chance to react, the noise stopped and I saw Ronde holding something near the top of his forehead. I looked closer and realized what it was. It was one of the arrows from the crossbows that were made. More specifically, the crossbows that we were testing. Then I realized something: did he just catch the arrow?

"Let me rephrase myself," He said, and I noticed that he was trying his best to suppress his anger. "Do you think it's a good idea to let idiots play with weapons!?"

"Oh great, what is he doing here?" Screamed Snotlout. "And who are you calling an idiot?"

Ronde had begun to walk until he was two feet in front of Snotlout, "The person who thinks it's a good idea to play with weapons! You could have killed someone!"

I could understand Ronde's frustration with Snotlout, but knowing Snotlout for all these years I knew he wasn't the type to back down even though he was in the wrong so I tried to stop them.

I was just about to stop them from arguing but then Astrid got between them. "Ronde, settle down. I understand you're angry but there's no point arguing with him."

Ronde was about to say something to Astrid but then his facial expression changed as if he was thinking of something then he finally said: "You're right Astrid, the only way to make people like him shut up is to put them in their place. So how about this, Snotlout, do you want to have a competition?"

A competition? What was he thinking?

Snotlout had a smug look on his face. "If you're willing to fight let's go! I'm ready to rumble!"

Ronde wasn't amused by what Snotlout just said. "You are either an idiot or a forgetful person but I'm pretty sure you saw what I did to those Dragon Hunters on my Island. You can't beat me in a fight.

"Oh yeah? I've taken out hundreds of Dragon Hunters, you're nothing special!" Snotlout retorted.

"I seriously doubt that," Ronde said while walking away from us. He was walking towards a weapon rack, he stopped and picked up one of the bows. "The reason I came here was to help out Hiccup test these bows." As he was saying that he picked one up. "This is actually pretty nice craftsmanship for a bow. Anyway, what better way to test these than a competition between two other people?"

I saw what Ronde was doing to get better results. He wanted another person to do it with him.

He picked up a second bowl then started walking towards us and tossed the bow to Snotlout. "I heard from the villagers that you and Hiccup have a competition with each other once in a while and one of the challenges is archery. I also heard that your skills are mediocre at best but you have an advantage because I haven't used a bow in over 7 years so let's get started."

"Fine, but tell me one thing!" Yelled Snotlout.

"If you're about to ask me what the definition of mediocre is, you're an idiot." Ronde quickly said.

"I wasn't going to say that."

"Based on the tone of your voice, yes you were." Then he sighed. "Today is going to be a long day."

Astrid(POV)

We finished setting up the targets for archery competition between Snotlout and Ronde. I didn't know why but I was excited to actually see this.

Hiccup and I were on opposite sides to check the targets whenever they were done with their turns. Hiccup was on Snotlout's side, I was on Ronde's side.

Both Snotlout and Ronde took their positions in front of their targets. "Best of luck to you, Snotlout," Ronde said.

Snotlout looked at Ronde with a disgusted look on his face. "I don't need luck when I have the skills to do this."

"Skills?" Ronde asked sarcastically. "Hehehehe well, let's see where yours stands at."

Everyone agreed that the point of this competition was the test the accuracy of the bows so those who hit their shots closer to the middle would win. There were five rings within the target and each ring was worth points: 5, 10, 50, 100 and 500 for if you managed to hit the centre. Each player had 5 arrows.

Snotlout was up first. "Watch and learn, boys." The moment he said this he released the first arrow and it landed outside ring next to the centre.

"100 points for Snotlout," Hiccup announced.

Snotlout's cockiness must have grown because he was already saying to Ronde. "Ha! Try to beat that!"

"I won't try. However, don't be surprised if I miss. I haven't done this in over 7 years." Ronde replied.

Ronde then placed the arrow inside the bow and reeled back preparing to release it. It took him a moment to get adjusted but before he fired I heard him say. "This is off."

He fired and his arrow landed on the 50 point area.

"50 points for Ronde!" I yelled.

Snotlout was laughing. "If you can't stay within the 100-point mark you should just give up now and make it easier for yourself."

I was looking over to Ronde to see his reaction to Snotlout's comment. Instead of what I expected, I saw him looking down towards his bow and smiling. Why was he smiling? He was at a disadvantage right now. Snotlout must have taken another shot because I heard Hiccup yell: "Another 100 for Snotlout that makes 200 points in total!"

"You can't win, buddy, not with that level of accuracy but go ahead, embarrass yourself."

Ronde continued staring at the bow but now he was laughing. "Hey, Hiccup!" He shouted

Hiccup turn towards Ronde. "Yeah?"

"Tell whoever made these bows that they did an excellent job crafting it and have my approval."

Now I was confused. What was he talking about?

"They're very well made. However, they have two flaws that can be easily fixed. One, the sight that they decided to use for more accuracy is off between 2 and 5 millimetres. I know that doesn't sound like much but that can make a difference in long ranges. The second thing is the sight is off-centre slightly." Ronde told him.

'So that's why he was laughing: because he knew that he wasn't going to hit his mark,' I thought to myself.

"So!" Snotlout shouted. "Even if you see the flaws of that weapon it's not going to help you win this competition!"

Ronde stood his ground and lined up for another shot. "On the contrary, now that I know the flaws of this weapon, I can do something like this." He released the arrow and the arrow landed in the center. But before I had a chance to announce his points, he shuffled towards the right and fired again while moving and he hit the center again. And finally, he went back towards his area and jumped 6 feet in the air and fired again and to my surprise, it hit the center again. He continued moving like that to hit the center multiple times in different angles.

I couldn't believe what I just witnessed the level of accuracy that he just displayed was amazing. He was about to fire again but then he said. "Oh right, this is a turn-based competition is it not? So I'll save this arrow for when you decide to fire during the final round but know this: if you don't hit the center during this turn you will lose regardless of whether or not you hit the other two arrows in the centre."

"Ronde hit the center three times which means each arrow is worth 500 points making it 1500 points plus his remaining 50 which means his score is 1550!" I announced.

Snotlout was speechless. He couldn't come up with a snappy comeback to what Ronde had just said. So instead, he tried another attempt at the Target but this time he was nervous. But when he finally released he completely missed.

And because he missed, what Ronde said was true. Even if he did manage to land the other two arrows in the centre that would only bring them to 1200 and to add salt into the wound, Ronde still had one more arrow left. Because of the display of his accuracy, he could have hit the center again or at the very least close to it.

"Well, at least on the bright side, we all tried our best and had fun, but take this advice: the battle is not over just because you assume that it is," Ronde said with a cold tone.

The amount of anger in Snotlout's face was almost priceless but at the same time, he was unpredictable. I didn't know what he was going to do or say but he did like to get underneath people's skins.

He marched towards Ronde and yelled: "Why would I take advice from an outcast such as YOURSELF!"

Ronde stepped back in shock for what Snotlout just said to him. "Y-you..."

"Snotlout, you need to stop." Hiccup said in a serious tone.

Then Snotlout towards him: "I don't understand why you didn't banish him. He is an outcast from his home, he must have done something wrong!"

"You."

"Snotlout, stop!" This was coming from Fishlegs.

But Snotlout continued: "He kidnapped Astrid and before long he could bring even more trouble to Berk."

I was about to say something but then I heard a noise similar to growling. I thought it was one of the dragons until I saw where the noise was coming from and it was Ronde.

"YOU."

Ronde then grabbed the last Arrow he was going to use for the competition and reeled it back into the bow. And then I realized what he was about to do.

I tried to stop him by yelling, "Wait don't do it, Ron-" But then he released it.

(Clang!)

I thought for a moment he hit Snotlout but the arrow actually pierced through his helmet on top of his head and it was sticking out the opposite side of the wall and all eyes were on Ronde.

"If I were you, I would choose my next words carefully," He said in a threatening manner.

Snotlout and everyone else remained quiet. In fact, it seemed like the whole world had stopped. There was no wind and the only thing we could hear was his voice. But the way he said that, I didn't know why, but it scared me more than the time he pretended to kidnap me.

He looked at Snotlout and said: "You have nothing to say? Then allow me to give you an opportunity."

His voice sounded different. It was the same but there was something to it.

"Tell me, how would you feel if you ran away at such a young age, an age where you couldn't fully comprehend how the world worked?"

He began walking closer toward them. "Tell me, how would you feel if you ran away from a place that you called home, only to discover how dangerous the world could be and almost lost your life on multiple occasions?"

Now he was in front of them and Fishlegs and Hiccup looked scared. "Tell me, how would you feel if your father tried to take your life only because he couldn't recognize..."

He stopped himself before he said what he was about to say and he was breathing heavily. But then I thought to myself: what does he mean recognize?

Then all of a sudden he screamed to the top of his lungs in anger. "AGHAAHHHHHHHHHHH!" Then he threw the bow down towards the ground with such force that it snapped in two, then he turned around walking towards the exit.

I tried to stop him. "Wait Ronde don't-."

He turns around so fast and looked at me with so much anger. He yelled: "DON'T FOLLOW ME!"

Stepping back in fear, it almost sounded like he growled at me for a second but then he started running the way from me. But at that moment, I didn't know what to do. Should I still try to follow him? Or give him some space to calm down?

Ronde(POV)

I ran to the forest without ever looking back. I was so angry at myself and Snotlout's comments. Not because what he said was mean. I knew he was trying to get underneath my skin but the fact was that it was true. If I were to stay here, there was a good chance I would bring trouble to this island, just like the Foreverwings nest.

"I'M DONE WITH THIS!"

I needed to leave, I needed to escape, find a new place to stay

"There's no point in me staying here any longer. I've done my time here."

I thought for a moment then I began to laugh. To think that this place could replace my home. What in God's name was I thinking?

I began to walk to the area of the forest that looked familiar. Then I looked at a tree that used to have a trap on it and that's when I realized. This was the place where I first met Astrid and Fishlegs.

"This is the start of my journey at Berk."

I began remembering the time when Astrid was on top of Stormfly and shot me as I ran through the forest. Stormfly was caught in the trap and Astrid was flung off her, heading over the cliffside and I saved her life. Then I remember throwing her onto Fishlegs' dragon then I began to laugh. "I did throw her at the Gronckle didn't I? "Wow, I must have been irritated."

I continued to walk through the forest, remembering when I first met Astrid and Fishlegs. Then sadness struck me. I was going to leave them without saying goodbye. But then again, they had my book. They'd put two to two together eventually and I knew Fishlegs read my diary. But by that time I'd be gone.

I saw the clearing in the forest, knowing that beyond that should be a cliff and my ship should be there. I made plans to grab my remaining stuff and leave.

I entered the clearing and saw my ship but then I saw another sight that confused me.

"What the hell is this?"

What I saw was at least thirty ships past the sea stacks coming towards this side of the island. Some of them were already on the beach. "Something's not right about this, no, this is too many ships just for a visit."

I looked closer at the symbol of those ships. They're not Dragon Hunters but I had seen that symbol before. Where was it though?

Then it struck me and I was horrified. "Those are Bog Burglars from the mist tribe! But why are they here and..."

Then I remembered something.

("Oh, sir, I never did finish asking you. How do we get these dragons tamed"?

"Well, that's a very good question compared to your other ones," The Hunter replied. "We're planning on doing a raid on a village called Berk. And there are two prizes there that can help our causes: one of them is the chief's son known as Hiccup," He paused. "And his dragon, a Night Fury, can control other dragons. If we can get one or the other, or both, our plans for world domination will be much easier."

"But sir, do you think the rumours are true that the boy's father, I'm sorry, the chief is dead?"

"If that's true, then that makes our job a whole lot easier. And we have the perfect group to do it with, known as the Bog-")

I was angry at myself. "I'm such a moron for not realizing this sooner!" I needed to go back to the Village and warn the others. The scoundrels were after Hiccup and Toothless!


	16. Chapter 14 Bog Burglars Raid on Berk

_**Special Thanks to DragonWriter0316 and Fantasia Komix for helping with grammar and fixing some of the scenes within this chapter.**_

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Hiccup

Just a mere few minutes had passed since Ronde's rant, but as I looked around, I saw that the others were also shocked at his fiery demonstration of anger. It had been a while since I saw anyone with that degree of fury. When he threw the bow to the ground hard enough to shatter it, I was conflicted on whether or not to feel amazement or fear.

My gaze rested on Astrid. Everyone was trying their best to retain their composure, yet the shaken look in her eyes told me that Ronde's shouting cut deep. My brow furrowed.

Snotlout shouted at no-one in particular as he struggled to remove the arrow from his helmet, which was stuck to the wall. "Can you believe him? Yelling. And. Screaming. Like. That!" he stopped between each word, for he had given up on the arrow and braced his feet against the wall, using his weight to pull the helmet itself down. Fishlegs' jaw tightened. My mouth opened to try to prevent the inevitable argument.

He beat me to the punch as he stalked over to Snotlout, my attempt to head it off a bust. I closed my mouth. I wished that I could later say that I wasn't expecting it [For Fishlegs was usually the peacekeeper sort], but I had watched beforehand as Snotlout frayed his patience to the breaking point.

"After everything you said to him, I'm surprised he didn't do anything worse," Fishlegs said to the boy. Snotlout turned and glared at him. "It's not my fault that everything I said about him was true!"

I had had enough of this, for the two looked like they would happily knock each other's blocks off. "Snotlout, you need to stop this right now," I ordered. He turned on me, angry confusion marring his face. "Why are you defending him?! He's an outcast!"

I crossed my arms over my chest. "Even if he is, he's trying to amend everything he's done so far," I growled. Snotlout had no room to talk, and he knew it. When Alvin the Treacherous brought back his unconscious body after a particularly asinine stunt, he tried to play it off as a move to capture the criminal. His recklessness resulted in a suspension from the Dragon Riders. Time after time again, Snotlout has quit and rejoined the Riders, his behavior going off an on at the drop of a hat. Everyone knew that he was ultimately dependable, but he had become isolated from the group.

He pointed at me. "Then what has he done to redeem himself?!"

"He stayed in our village to face punishment for his actions. He had every opportunity to escape, but he decided to stay." 'Along with saving your life despite your attempts to turn us against him. Despite your repeated challenges to goad him into retaliating.' I stared him down.

"That may be true, but why would a person not run away if he knew he was going to pay some sort of punishment? He's obviously after something!" Snotlout yelled back desperately.

"After what? He spends his days helping the village. The first week, he was trying to look for a place to sleep. What could he be after?" I asked. Granted, I had thought about that at first when we first got to the Foreverwing's island, but his actions during the event had at least earned him my respect.

I almost said more, but Astrid finally spoke up "As the person among us who was the most involved in that incident, I'll say this about the matter." She was still shaken, but she held herself strong. "I don't know how many times I've had to say this, but hopefully now will be the last. I don't excuse him for kidnapping me and putting on that show." Snotlout looked smug until she continued with, "However, after everything we've witnessed on his island, I probably would have done the same thing."

Snotlout looked irritated. "Astrid, do not defend that-"

"Let me finish and you might learn something about him," she said, shooting a glare in his direction before continuing. "When I first met Ronde, I was with Fishlegs looking for the Chimera dragon. When we discovered Ronde, I assumed he was a spy. Stormfly and I chased after him. An incident happened that almost cost me my life, but Ronde saved me." I noticed that she didn't say what the incident was.

I was shocked that I hadn't heard about this 'first meeting'. That actually hurt, for we usually don't keep secrets from each other. 'We'll talk about this later,' I thought to myself. Astrid continued.

"Now about afterwards. After he kidnapped me, I caught him crying about what he did. He told me that the rope tied around my hands was easily breakable. He tried his best to behave as unthreatening as possible during the period that I didn't trust him. I argued with him when he told me his plan to lure you guys to his island. He told me a story about how his mother told him to think that life is a game if it works out for his benefit, which made sense after a while."

I was intrigued by this, then remembered our game of chess. He had said something similar when he won.

"We rested on an island because he didn't want to wear me and Stormfly out. He gave us firewood and food, then told me a story about a girl he liked. He informed me about the nature of his island, about how there were only dragons there. He even gave me Hiccup's weapon, saying that he didn't want me to think my life was in his hands."

"Okay, why are you telling us this story?" Snotlout asked, although I could see that his resolve was shaking.

Astrid gestured at the rest of us. "To show you that he doesn't have any malicious intentions towards us. Everything he's done so far is to make amends for everything he's done to me." Then she paused for a moment, then corrected, "No, not for what he's done to me, what he's done to all of us."

Going from what she said and what I witnessed myself, it seemed as though Ronde was a decent enough person. He'd earned my respect before, though, but I could see now how it would be best for the village for me to pardon him.

Snotlout grit his teeth. "Fine. Believe what you want but tell me this: Why is it so hard for him to tell us why he ran away from his home?" We met him with silence. He actually made a good point.

"Don't you think it's a little odd that he refuses to tell anyone about his past? It's obviously because he did something bad." He crossed his arms. Nobody said anything for what felt like an eternity.

Finally, someone broke the silence. "I'm willing to vouch for him after what he told me," Fishlegs quietly said.

Everyone's attention was on him as he continued. "After the incident with the Chimera, then after Ronde was injured or something, he told me he didn't do anything wrong, but he just couldn't stay there. And, based on what he wrote in his diary, his father tried to kill him because of the way he was. He didn't clarify what that means, though."

Snotlout yelled, "As I told you before, that could literally mean anything!"

"Yes, but I want you to think about it. Does Ronde have anything of value on him? Have you seen him harm anyone other than the Dragon Hunters on his island? He's not a thief, from what I can tell. The only things he ever said he'd stolen were a boat to escape his home and the Dragon Hunter ship to get here."

Snotlout scoffed. "He's still an outcast. He must have done something."

But Fishlegs's response silenced Snotlout for a moment. "He wrote about that in his book. He said that the main reason he ran away was because of his father, but he didn't say anything about being banished."

That reminded me of something I was confused about earlier. Since we first met Ronde, he never mentioned banishment at all, only that he ran away. The only time banishment came up was when he explained the laws of his country.

I interrupted their argument. "Guys, wait a minute. I need you to think. Has Ronde ever said anything about banishment?" The resulting silence gave me my answer.

My conclusion was confirmed when Astrid finally said, "He was discussing his country's laws earlier. That was the only time it came up."

I pointed to her and said, "Yes, he did." Then I remembered another detail. "When he mentioned it, did you notice how casual his tone was when he told us?" I asked her, my brow furrowed.

Astrid didn't answer for a moment. She quietly asked, "Do you think it's possible that he was used to seeing stuff like that?"

I reluctantly nodded. "Possible, but notice how every time we asked him about his past, he would hesitate and give us somewhat of an attitude. However, when it came to discussing the laws of his land, he said them to us like it was nothing, which could mean-"

"Ronde couldn't have hurt anyone, and, because he doesn't have anything of value, he's not a thief either," she finished, a hint of relief in her voice.

I grinned. "Exactly."

But someone had something to add to the discussion. "You're basing that purely on his body language and reactions?" Fishlegs asked. "Understand that I say I don't doubt that he didn't do anything wrong, but I do believe that there is something else that's going on here."

I turned to Fishlegs and gave him a confused look. "What do you mean?"

He expanded upon his statement. "When I first read Ronde's diary, I was shocked because he ran away when he was a mere ten years old. I assume that he's now around sixteen, seventeen years of age. The main reason he ran away was because his father was trying to kill him, and he couldn't go back to his home because of the way he was. However, he also said that his father couldn't recognize something."

Astrid's eyes narrowed. She asked, "What do you think he was talking about when he said 'recognize,' Fishlegs?"

His hands came together, his fingers tapping rigorously. "I don't know that part, but I do know it has something to do with him and his father." Fishlegs paused and looked up, still trying to think of an answer. Suddenly, he looked at us in shock. "Do you think it's possible that what Ronde's father couldn't recognize was, well, Ronde?"

"How can a father not recognize his son?" Snotlout demanded, although a tinge of worry came through in the statement.

Fishlegs shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe he was drunk or Ronde was wearing a disguise." He pressed his palms to his forehead and sighed. "This is all just so confusing."

"Guys, listen." We turned back to Astrid, ready to listen. "I know Ronde has his own reasons for not telling us much about his past. It might have been traumatic for him, so we should stop asking about his past and focus on what's happening now. Maybe, one day, when he trusts us more, he can tell us. But right now, we need to find him." She walked back to Stormfly.

As she passed Snotlout, she added, "You need to work on your apology."

Snotlout stared at her. "For what?!" he asked defensively. Astrid rolled her eyes. "For what you said to Ronde, of course. If he was as bad as you say he is, he would have fought you…or aimed the arrow a little lower."

Snotlout decided to not respond for once, instead opting to go back to the wall and continue his struggle to remove his helmet.

Standing next to Stormfly's flank, Astrid crossed her arms impatiently. "Come on, guys, we have to find Rond-"

A great explosion cut her off, the noise forcing us to cover our ears. When it ceased, Fishlegs shouted, "What was that?!"

"HICCUP!"

We immediately turned around and saw Gobber panting at the entrance. He must've just gotten there, for I hadn't noticed him earlier.

I took charge. "Gobber, what's going on?"

After he caught his breath, he told me, "We're under attack!"

I ran to the entrance and looked out behind him. Dragons were falling out of the sky, their comrades' bodies splayed across the ground. "No."

Ronde

I ran through the forest, darting around the vegetation while avoiding the dragon traps I found.

'I'm more than positive that the Bog Burglars didn't notice my presence on that cliff, but I was on the opposite side of the island. It will take me at least ten to fifteen minutes at the speed I'm at to get back to the Village and warn the others.'

My blood pounded, not from the strain I was putting on my body, but from cold fear that I was too late. The Bog Burglars specialized in assaulting settlements, sending multiple squadrons around the island to close in on all sides and take their target.

My fear turned to anger and confusion at what I should do. "DAMN IT!" I roared, not even caring if someone noticed. I slowed down as I asked myself, "Should I do it? I need to get there faster!"

But I shook my head. "No, I shouldn't do it unless it gets too bad, I just need more time. No, I shouldn't do it at all. I don't want to be rejected or ridiculed." Tears came to my eyes, but the wind dried them, erasing any evidence of their existence. I murmured, "I can't go through that again."

I came to a decision. "If someone's in immediate danger, I'll do it, but only then." I pushed myself harder, the trees becoming a blur as I fiercely hoped that I was not too late.

Astrid

The only word I could think of to describe what was happening outside was 'Horrific.' Most of the buildings were on fire, some already destroyed, pummeled by great stones and arrows. The invaders were attacking our villagers, including the dragons, and so far, they were successful in subduing them. However, whoever they were, they weren't trying to maim or kill anybody, but the destruction they wrought-

I was furious. They had to be stopped. I turned back to Stormfly and jumped on her back. Ronde is not my priority right now. A warrior protects her own.

When we got outside, the dragons immediately fell into formation, bringing memories of battles from years ago. I shuddered. 'Let's hope this isn't the start of another war.'

We dived, separating so that we can cover more ground. But they saw us coming and aimed crossbows at us. One of the leaders shouted, "TAKE AIM AND FIRE!"

"Stormfly, roll!" She dodged whatever they shot at us. As one of the projectiles passed us, I noticed that it wasn't an arrow. Too small, more like a dart. I took note of this and continued with the unspoken plan only to hear a familiar scream.

"Hookfang, calm down. Whoa-aah!"

I looked over my shoulder. Hookfang was losing control, plummeting to the ground. He must have been hit by one of those darts [I shook off the eerie similarities to the war with the Grimborns. Can't think about that right now, they're dead]. I realized where the angle of his descent would send him too late.

With a crash, one of the few remaining intact houses was demolished, Hookfang unconscious in the wreckage. Luckily Snotlout was not crushed, for he landed in a nearby grouping of bushes. But my relief was short-lived. The invaders' attention was set on them, and they quickly redirected their forces to the scene.

Hiccup shouted over the chaos of the battle, "Everyone, help Snotlout and Hookfang!" But we had already landed in front of the former house. That was a mistake. Ten of them closed in, their crossbows trained on us and our dragons. I swallowed. The points of the darts may have been designed to penetrate dragon hides, but they were long enough to kill a human if they hit the wrong-or right-spot.

Once of the leaders stepped forward and pointed at Hiccup, leering as he said, "I was expecting more of a challenge for such a high bounty." He chuckled, but no mirth was in his eyes. "But you coming to us made this a hell of a lot easier. You saved us the trouble of looking for you, didn't ya?"

We were confused. What bounty were they talking about? The last one was nullified years ago, so it couldn't have been that one.

Hiccup cleared his throat. "What are you talking about? Bounty? I know I haven't done anything wrong, so why are you after me? Who sent you?"

The leader only raised a scarred eyebrow. "It's not what you did or didn't do. It's what you can do. There are people in this world who want your talents for themselves, and they are willing to offer the world for it." He turned his back to us and walked away. As he passed through the ring, he jutted a thumb back to us. "Take them down and bring me that boy and his Night Fury."

"Yes, sir!" They responded in unison, their crossbows already aimed at our dragons. Hiccup pulled out his sword, Inferno. "Don't move!" one of them ordered. Another voice casually said [to reassure us or them, I didn't know], "We don't want to harm anyone. We just want our target."

They braced themselves to fire only to halt when one of them said, "Hold on…do you hear that?"

They were all silent, but then I heard what he was talking about. A faint thudding noise was swiftly coming towards our location. We all jumped when the sound hit the top of the roof, the noise made louder by the emptiness of the house. I looked up and watched as the source of the disturbance flew from the roof and landed on one of the invaders-bounty hunters. The invader in question let out an undignified "Gah!"

The shape-no, a person-was crouched on the ground. When it stood up, I caught a glimpse of their face. "Ronde?"

The person in question immediately began to take down the invaders. He twirled with a leg out, knocking down the person on his left before bringing his leg back in.

He proceeded without a break in motion, as though he was just dancing, not fighting. Ronde lunged at the next person, punching him in the gut. Behind him, two others cocked their crossbows at him. He must've heard it, for when he brought his fist back, it was clutching a handful of fabric. Bringing the other hand in, he grunted as he threw the larger man at the two invaders. They all went down.

Our dragons took advantage of the fewer adversaries and fired at the trespassers behind Ronde. But they only hit the enemies' feet and barely hit their weapons. One of the bounty hunters fired a dart at Ronde's backside.

I didn't get the words out fast enough to warn him, but he heard the dart and dodged it. He turned around and faced the remaining two enemies. One of them whispered to the other, "Is that the boy the Hunters warned us about?"

The other began to list off characteristics. "A darker skin complexion, stands out from the rest, and has combat skills that took us out in less than ten seconds?"

The first nodded. "Yes, the description does fit him well. He almost looks like Krogan, but what is he doing here? We were never told that he was going to be here."

As he heard this, Ronde's eyes widened and he involuntarily stepped back. "How do you know that name?" he hissed, his voice quiet compared to the chaos that preceded it. They ignored him and ran away, one of them telling the other, "We have to tell the boss that he's here!"

We almost chased after them, but Ronde put his hand out. We watched as they went around a corner, out of our range. "What are you doing?" Hiccup confusedly asked.

Ronde only smiled. "Giving us a slight advantage." Hiccup furrowed his brow. "How?"

He ignored the question and walked past us to the wreckage, pushing Hiccup and Fishlegs out of his way. "Move."

Rode stepped over the remains of the door frame and proceeded to climb the house. That was when I saw Hookfang. He didn't look severely injured, but his landing was rough. His head and neck were on the ground while his body was draped over the roof of the house. Ronde checked him for wounds. He didn't find anything but a dark brown dart. The same dart that Stormfly and I dodged earlier.

"What is that?" Hiccup asked, his voice slightly higher with worry. I didn't blame him. The last time we saw something like this, we were dealing with a power-hungry dragon trader.

Ronde ignored him and pulled out the dart, holding it so that the dart was upright so that the contents wouldn't spill. Then he crouched down and picked up a small piece of wood, pouring said contents onto it. When he stood up, I saw a disturbingly bright leaf-green stain. Ronde sniffed it, only to gag and throw it away, shuddering. "Gah! Uhgh…" He nearly fell only to catch himself, and pressed his hands to his face.

"What was that, Ronde?" I asked. Well, I know it was some sort of poison, judging from his reaction, but we need to find out what it is, of course.

He breathed deeply for a couple seconds. After he composed himself, he said, "He's alive, but…"

Snotlout ran up, pushing Hiccup and I out of the way to get a better look and demanded, "But what?!"

Ronde's tightened jaw told me that he was still angry with the boy for earlier and didn't want to answer. To my mild surprise, he just took a breath and said, "He's going to be asleep for a while. I need someone to stay with him until the drug wears off. Since he's your dragon, you're staying here." He pointed at Snotlout before lowering his arm. "Or he could be killed."

Snotlout tried to argue, but Ronde cut him off. "Do you want your dragon to die? If not, the best thing you can do for him is Stay. Here." Snotlout gritted his teeth. "Fine!"

He sat next to Hookfang, his hammer at the ready. Once he was assured that Snotlout was not going to disobey, Ronde walked away. The rest of us followed him back down from the top of the house. When we finally stopped, Fishlegs asked, "What do you mean, 'drug,' Ronde?"

Ronde didn't look at him when he replied, "There's a certain plant that can make a dragon hallucinate. It's somewhat like Dragon Root, but the effects differ depending on the species. This type does not grow on this side of the archipelago, so they must have a seller." He stepped away from us as he gazed at the unconscious bounty hunters. He added, "It must have been these guys who created the drug from this plant and added it to their tranquilizer darts. These had the same design as the darts they used to capture the dragons on my island."

Fishlegs nodded. "I see. So that's how you know. Do you know what's going on right now? Who were these people who attacked us?

Ronde paused as he knelt beside one of the invaders. As he used one of their ropes to tie them up, he said, "They're called the Bog Burglars. If you want to be technical about it, they're Bog Burglars from the Mist Tribe. These guys specialize in taking villages for their own gain. But they always spare the villagers, opting to instead incapacitate them or to use them as hostages as they look for their targets."

Hiccup reluctantly asked, "I'm almost afraid to ask, but do you know why they came here? What are they after?"

Ronde dusted off his hands before standing up. He pointed at Hiccup. "You."

Hiccup rushed to clarify. "Why me? What did I do that drew them to Berk?"

Ronde rolled his eyes before gesturing to all of him. "It's your knowledge of how to gain the dragons' trust. As I told you before, there are people in this world that would take advantage of dragons and use them as weapons if they had the chance. These guys just came here to pick up what their customer ordered: You and your Night Fury."

"Who are their customers?" I asked. If we knew who started this, we could go to the source and end all attempts on Hiccup and our people. But Ronde's answer was like metal against metal, in that it wasn't pleasing to the ear.

"The same people who ordered the capture of the dragons on my-the island: The Warlords." Warlords. Where had I heard that before? I shook my head. Not important now.

To my annoyance, our intellectuals did not have the same priorities and made to continue their interrogation. Ronde, to my relief, waved their questions away before glaring at them. "Are you really going to ask me these questions now? In the middle of a raid?" As though to emphasize his words, an explosion went off. Sounded like it came from the armory.

It woke Hiccup up to the present situation. Finally. "Okay, Ronde," he quickly said. "I assume you have a plan."

Ronde chuckled mirthlessly. "You know me so well, don't you? Yes, I have a plan…but you're not going to like it." 'Not the time to be playing games,' I thought irritably. 'Lives are at stake.'

Hiccup shared my very real sense of urgency. "As long as it saves Berk, I'm in." His eyes were determined, bright as they reflected the fire behind the house.

But Ronde avoided his gaze, opting to instead disappointedly look at the ground. "That's just it. We're not going to save Berk. We're going to evacuate the village and leave the island."

"WHAT?" I would've laughed in surprise at the rare occurrence of everyone acting in unison, but my mind raced as I contemplated the loss of our fatherland. I pursed my lips.

Ronde's face snapped up. "It's either that or let them have Hiccup and Toothless!" he yelled. "We have already lost this fight. There are more troops on the other side of the island waiting for their order to strike. Why else would I be here? You are outmatched. They got the drop on you, they have the advantage." He enunciated, "You are not winning this fight. The best thing for the people of Berk is to escape and return with backup."

Hiccup paced, his fists clenched as he growled, "There has to be another way, Ronde."

But Ronde refused to look at us, worry wrinkling his brow. "There isn't another way. The more time we waste arguing about this gives them more time to take hostages until you have no choice but to cooperate."

I saw that Hiccup wasn't in the state of mind to see things clearly, so I made the call. "What should we do?"

Ronde gestured to each of us as he gave his orders. "You, Fishlegs, and the twins will go down to the heart of the village and free the hostages. Check the houses for any who hid during the attack. After they're free, take them to a nearby island and regroup. This will be the rendezvous point. Stay on the ground, for your dragons are easy targets in the air. They are skilled with their crossbows, so use the houses for cover."

"You"- he pointed at Gobber-"I need you to check the area between here and the Great Hall. Tell anyone you find to get on their dragons and rendezvous at the island. After you have swept the area, come back here and check on Hookfang and Snotlout. The dragon should be awake in about an hour, but it depends on how fast his body burns through the drug.

"I'll return to the forest and hold back the Bog Burglars." His jaw tightened as he quickly glanced at the harbor. My eyes involuntarily followed, catching on the dark shapes on the horizon. Ronde resumed his briefing. "Since they now know that I'm here, my…reputation will put fear in their hearts. This means that they will be more cautious, more conservative. You can take advantage of that."

'Is he really going to do that again?' "Ronde, you can't-"

"Don't argue with me!" After a moment's pause, he quietly added, "Please. I'll be fine." I could tell that he believed himself, but I didn't. "I'd rather stay here-out of sight, out of mind- until you guys come back with reinforcements. If need be, I'll find you."

"Wait, what is my assignment?" Hiccup asked.

"You will decide which island is the safest rendezvous point. After telling your designated leaders where to go, fly there immediately and don't come back until it's safe, no matter what."

Hiccup's lips tightened into a straight line. He only managed to say, "What. But-" before Ronde cut him off.

"DO NOT ARGUE WITH ME!" His voice was hoarse with frustration. "They are after you. You are their priority. If they get you, they will make you talk. I cannot let another person suffer under the Warlord. Discuss a place for your village to go, NOW!" He turned away. Over his shoulder, he spat, "I'm leaving."

Ronde ran to the other side of the village. Watching him disappear around a corner, I sadly noted that he didn't even look back. 'But,' I acknowledged. 'It would waste time.'

Hiccup desperately looked around at the rest of us. "There has to be another way-" he started, his voice wavering. "We can't just leave Berk."

I shook my head. "I know, but what Ronde said really is our best option. We need to free the villagers and see what happens next. Right now, if all else fails, we do need to have a place where we can all meet. So, are there any islands that you can think of where we would be safe?"

Hiccup answered without missing a beat. "Helheim's gate into Dragon Island. That's the only place that I can think of," he said, his face sullen with resignation. "The fog can keep us hidden and the dragons can guide us through it."

"That might work. Then we could go to the Berserkers or Outcast Island for help," Fishlegs added hopefully.

"Alright." I put my hand on my axe. "I know it's hard, Hiccup, but you need to go."

"No." He planted his feet to show that he was serious. "I'm staying here."

"I saw that coming. There's no way I could convince you to leave, is there?" I asked.

"I am not leaving my people here to suffer. A chief protects his own. And besides, I refuse to leave you guys," he said, a faint smile gleaming on his face.

I sighed. He had to be stubborn. "Fine. Let's hurry up and free everyone."

And with that we went our separate ways.

Hiccup

We used the next half-hour to free our people. We did fight a few Bog Burglars, but for some reason there weren't as many as before. 'Was Ronde right about them being cautious?'

A small group tried to surround us, but our dragons sensed them beforehand. They didn't fulfill their mission, and let's leave it at that. Ronde was right to have us stay at ground level: we had more cover for surprise attacks, and our dragons warned us if someone was close by.

The Twins searched the houses to check that there wasn't anyone still inside. Astrid and I freed the humans and dragons that were tied up.

After a few minutes of poking around, we finished our mission in the village entrance, right by the docks. From there, we could see at least twenty enemy ships with a strange insignia on the sail, which I assumed was their clan's seal. The ships were well-prepared to take over our village, with catapults, slingshots, and ballistic crossbows all pointed towards land. The big one in the middle was most likely their leader's.

Fishlegs quivered. "That's a lot of people," he whimpered. Meatlug moved in front of him instinctively to protect him.

"How are we supposed to stop that?" Tuffnut asked with disbelief. Ruffnut continued his thought. "Yeah, we don't have a giant dragon to just flick 'em away like on Ronde's island," she waved at al the ships as though to prove her point.

"That's because you're not supposed to."

Before I could even look over my shoulder, something flew past the top of my head. When I turned around, I saw that it was the leader from before, when we were all surrounded. I bit my tongue. A warning shot.

"Raaahhhh!" Or maybe not.

I turned back around and saw that Barf and Belch were going crazy. They ran headfirst into a house before collapsing on the ground. Once they were still, I saw an oily black dart in each of their necks.

"It's better to aim for the heads and necks rather than the body itself: the effect is quicker that way. Every dragon has a different reaction, and I knew that if I aimed anywhere else on that dragon that it would have gone on a rampage until the full effect kicked in," their leader monologued.

The twins ran to their dragon to see if they were alright. The rest of us backed away towards the village, but more of the invaders stepped out from behind the trees and houses. We were surrounded right in the middle of the village, the lowest part of the village. A kill box.

"Just make it easier for yourselves and come with us. We don't want to raid your village, we just want you and your dragon. Once you come with us, we will all leave without further damaging your village. So just make it easier for you and everybody else. You don't have a choice."

"No!" Countless instances of backstabbing and treachery flashed in my memory at that spiel. "I will not come with you. Just because you say you're going to do something doesn't mean you're going to do it."

He laughed. "You have my word that we will leave if you come with us. But if you are just going to make things more difficult for yourself, well…" His hand flashed up, his men aiming their crossbows at Astrid and Stormfly."

"Now you have a choice: Come with us, or let the girl and her dragon die," he said coldly. "All the people on this island are my hostages, and if we don't get our way, There. Will. Be. Bloodshed."

I didn't know what to do. I didn't want to go with them, but I didn't want to see Astrid die.

The leader pressed his thumb and middle finger together, preparing to snap. "What's it gonna be, boy?"

I blinked back tears of frustration at my own stupidity. If I had listened to Ronde, I wouldn't be in this position. "Fine." 'Maybe I can think of an escape plan, Gods know that I've done that before.' "I will go with you if you call off your army."

The leader smiled with too many teeth. "Good boy. See, was that so hard?" He snapped, and his men lowered their weapons. "Grab him, and take the Night Fury too."

I panicked. "No, just me-leave my dragon out of this."

I heard a growl in the background. The strange thing about that was that it didn't come from any of our dragons. Too deep. But I was sure that it wasn't my imagination.

"Sounds like there's a dragon out there, but that doesn't matter. Sorry to tell you, but both you and your dragon were on that bounty, so both of you will come wi-" I heard Stormfly whip her tail spines in my direction. I had barely enough time to get out of their path, but the bounty hunter didn't. I smirked as I heard him scream, his hand fumbling at the long gash by his ear.

I turned around to meet Astrid's wide eyes. 'She didn't tell Stormfly to do that,' I realized. I whipped around to keep my eyes on the invader, my hand reaching backward towards Toothless.

The leader cupped his hand around the scratch to try to stop the bleeding. "How dare you scratch my pretty face, you witch!" His pain-crazed eyes rested on Fishlegs and Meatlug. "Hold down that boy and his dragon. And pin down the Night Fury!"

They immediately shot Meatlug with a dart, her body going limp in a matter of seconds. Once she was incapacitated, a handful of men pinned Fishlegs down, who was fighting to reach his dragon. Toothless tried to fight the invaders, but he was overwhelmed by the number of people on his back, his legs collapsing as he struggled for breath. But they still didn't drug him.

"No! What are you doing?!" I shouted, although even to my ears it sounded pathetic. I reached for my sword.

The leader lunged forward and grabbed me by my vest and lifted me up with one hand. "Making an example," he said with a feral grin, deliberately moving his other hand away from the gash on his face so I can see the blood dripping from his palm.

When the first drop of blood hit the ground, I heard the growl again. It was close enough to tell that it was to my right, but I couldn't see what was making the sound.

He finally looked at Astrid. "The rest of you, aim at the girl and her dragon. Fire on my mark!"

"Please don't do this!" Fishlegs yelled, but I could already tell that he was giving up. The leader paid him no mind.

"Get ready!" he yelled. They loaded their weapons with red darts.

"You said that if I came willingly, you would let them go. Don't do this!" I pled.

He ignored me. "Take aim!" The crossbows were up again, the men looking through a small circle close to the end at Astrid and Stormfly.

Something caught my eye. Something was moving on top of one of the houses. It was like either the air itself moved or there was a heatwave emanating from the house. I heard the growl again. My eyes widened. It was coming from the house.

Stormfly suddenly leapt into the air, leaving Astrid defenseless on the ground.

"No."

"Fir-!" And chaos crashed before me. And screams. A lot of them.

I couldn't believe my eyes. The thing that was on the house had leapt into action and pushed away the men around Astrid. It grabbed her. Whatever it was, it was huge, its skin's color shifted to blend perfectly into the wooden house. Then the skin rippled as it faded then brightened to reveal gleaming purple scales.

"That can't be…"

Astrid

It was dark. I was afraid that I had died and the gods took me away before I could feel anything. The darkness was pressing in against me, trapping me in its constricting presence. Was this how I died?

But then I heard a heartbeat, a rapid heartbeat that wasn't mine. Something clicked inside me and I listened closer. I heard breathing.

Suddenly a light cut through the darkness and landed on the surface in front of me, which reflected to dimly illuminate the space around me. I saw tight-knit purple scales. It was some sort of dragon, but something was different. It was holding me in its arms in a protective manner, even though it didn't know me.

'Wait! If it's holding me in its arms, just how big is this dragon?' I looked up. A dragon stared back at me, my face reflected in its big human-like brown eyes. I was startled when it calmly smiled at me, although in a tired way. It was still breathing like it had just ran a marathon.

The more that I stared at its eyes, the more human they looked. Its eyes had round pupils, not slits. Was it calm? Or was it just happy to see me?

Suddenly the dragon put me back down on the ground gently. That was when I got a good look at it. The dragon was at least twice, if not three times the size of Stormfly. It had fur on top of its heard, which was unheard of, and it was standing on two feet like a human, but its legs bent the wrong way so it had to use its tail for balance. Was this the Chimera dragon?

The dragon looked at Stormfly and barked softly. She had been waiting in the air, but she quickly dove down and nuzzled me to make sure I was okay. I thought she had left me, but I realized that she must have known that the dragon was going to do that.

It then dropped down on all fours and ran towards Toothless and the invaders that were pinning him. It stopped in front of them and growled.

The men around Toothless scrambled away from it. The leader screeched, "What are you doing?! Just shoot that dragon!" The ones that didn't just run away were already pointing their weapons at the Chimera Dragon.

But it just stood still, closed its eyes, and went limp. It wasn't planning to defend itself at all, I realized. It was leaving itself wide open. 'Why?'

They all opened fire on the dragon, and all hit their mark. But I heard the scratch of metal on metal as the darts and arrows bounced off its hide. They couldn't even penetrate the dragon's scales.

"What kind of dragon is that?" their leader yelled, his face pale as he realized their weaponry had no effect on the creature.

The dragon opened its wings and paused, the sudden movement of air pulling the men towards it, then brought them back down to knock them over with a gust of wind in the opposite direction. Spinning around, it used its tail to take down the people holding down Fishlegs.

The leader let go of Hiccup and tried to protect his eyes with both hands from the wind. I took advantage of his moment of weakness and threw my axe at him.

He heard it coming and dodged it, firing an arrow at me with the crossbow he unhooked from his belt. I didn't have time to react. It hit my shoulder, but luckily I was wearing my metal shoulder pads. The arrow stopped just in time to not shatter bone, but it drew blood. "Aghhh!"

"Astrid!" I heard someone yell as my legs gave out from under me.

I pivoted as I fell so that I landed on my knees. My fingers dug into my flesh as I tried to pull out the arrow without leaving the point behind. I didn't realize I'd closed my eyes until I opened them and found myself face-to-face with the horrified look on the Chimera Dragon's face. 'Is it worried about me? Why is this dragon so concerned about me?' I had never seen it before, but I could tell from the look on its face that it was scared for me.

The dragon slowly opened its mouth and made a series of noises. "Yuuuhhnnnnn hunnnnnn?" 'Call me crazy, but I think it is trying to communicate with me.' It almost sounded like it said, 'you hurt?' I tried to sit up, which was when the dragon saw the blood running down my arm. It growled softly, its pupils slowly becoming slimmer and slimmer. Then the dragon looked around, its eyes focusing on Fishlegs and Meatlug, then Toothless and Hiccup, then the twins and their Zippleback. The growl grew louder as it bared its teeth before looking back down at me. The expression on the dragon's face was scaring me. I thought it was going to attack me, but then it slowly turned its head towards the Bog Burglars.

"Rahh! Grahhhhh! RAHHHHHHHAAAHHHHH!" It roared, the noise jarring my ears.

The dragon launched itself at the group of Bog Burglars and tried to tackle them. The leader and some of his officers were able to dodge it, but the rest were attacked and knocked down. Some of them were even knocked towards the docks below.

Fishlegs took advantage of the chaos to help me up. I noticed that he was also tired. "Astrid, are you okay?"

"Yeah, just a flesh wound," I reported as I finally yanked the arrow out of my shoulder. I turned towards him to ask, "Fishlegs, do you know what's wrong with that dragon?"

The Chimera Dragon scratched one of the invaders. It didn't look deep, but it still looked painful. I ignored the scream of pain.

"It could be a protective instinct and is trying to protect you. Or it could be that this is what happens when it gets mad. In Ronde's book, he said that this dragon is not aggressive unless it's threatened, which means that this is likely a fight or flight response."

"RAHHHHAHHHHHHH! It roared again, the majority of the Bog Burglars trying to get out of its destructive path. The dragon then shot a stream of fire out of its mouth towards the invaders, but it barely missed.

"No, this cannot be!" the leader shouted. "FALL BACK! RETREAT!"

They all got the message and fled towards the docks. They scrambled onto their boats to get away from the Chimera Dragon.

The dragon stood at the edge of the cliff, alternating between growling and snarling as it watched the bounty hunters run away.

When all the Bog Burglars got on their ships, they immediately set sail. They were actually leaving this time.

When it realized this, the Chimera Dragon got down on all fours. It dug its talons deep into the ground and opened its mouth, breathing deeply. Suddenly I heard a familiar whistling noise.

Hiccup put his hand un my uninjured shoulder, his eyes wide as he also recognized the sound. "No, it can't do that…can it?" There was something, either smoke or gas, coming out of the side of its mouth.

He shook his head in awe. "That's a plasma blast like Toothless. How can it do that?" he quietly murmured to himself while watching the dragon.

I didn't know how, but some of the Bog Burglars' ships were already close to leaving the harbor. All of a sudden, a bright light glowed around the Chimera Dragon's mouth. It was so bright that I had to cover my eyes, the glow making the skin under my eyelids glow bright red. Then I heard a whoosh sound, and the light disappeared.

When I opened my eyes, there was a muffled rumbling. The ground shook for a moment, then ceased. Suddenly a huge explosion of steam and water burst in the docks. 'And when I say a huge explosion, I mean humongous.' I assumed the explosion happened underwater, which would explain why it was muffled. I knew I was right when I saw that some of the boats were lifted in the burst of water.

It felt like it was raining because of all the water splashing on us. During it all, the Chimera Dragon proudly stood up on its two feet as high as it could and roared triumphantly.

"RAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHR!"

"I think that was a victory roar! The Chimera Dragon knows it won!" Fishlegs yelled while covering his ears.

Once the dragon stopped roaring, it turned its head towards us. It still had an aggravated look on its face.

I quietly leaned towards Fishlegs and asked, "Do you think the dragon will recognize us while it's in that state?"

The dragon quickly got back down on all fours and slowly stalked towards us. It was still aggravated, I realized. It probably saw us as a threat.

"Grrrrrrrrrrr." It bared its teeth at us.

"I don't think it does," Fishlegs said in a small voice.

Suddenly Stormfly flew in front of the Chimera Dragon. The dragon jumped and quickly arched its back in a defensive stance, hissing at her. 'It looks like a scared kitten,' I realized. 'A giant scaled kitten that can kill us so very easily.' Stormfly stood her ground. Instead of growling or hissing back, she softly cooed at it. The Chimera Dragon stopped in its tracks and tilted its head. Toothless joined Stormfly's side and made a noise similar to hers.

Fishlegs and I were confused. "What are they doing?"

Hiccup whispered, "I think they're trying to calm the dragon down."

After the duo made a few more cooing noises, the dragon closed its eyes and backed away from them, shaking its head fiercely. When it stopped shaking its head, it slowly stood up on its two hind legs and blearily opened its eyes. Its pupils were round again, but it was still breathing heavily.

We carefully walked towards our dragons. Once close enough to touch my own dragon, I noticed how the Chimera Dragon was looking around the village fearfully. Something made its eyes go wide and it quickly looked down at its claws and gasped. It must've saw the blood on its claws. The look on its face…I'd never seen a dragon look so mortified in my life. It trembled with fear.

When I took a step closer, the dragon quickly backed away from us. We all looked at each other. "What's wrong with the dragon? Why is it scared of us?" I asked the dragon geeks.

"I-I don't know. One minute it's attacking the Bog Burglars, the next it's about to attack us, and now it's scared of us," Fishlegs muttered, thinking out loud.

The dragon refused to look at us, continuing to stare at its claws with abject horror. Then I thought of something that could explain the strange behavior. "Fishlegs, do you think it's possible that the dragon scared itself?"

He wrinkled his brow. "What do you mean?" he asked.

"Notice how the dragon keeps staring at its claws, or, more specifically, the blood on its claws. I think it wasn't aware of what it was doing in that rampage and is now afraid of harming us. That's why it backed away from us," I explained.

"But why would that dragon care about us?" Hiccup asked, although he was now more curious than worried. "I'm more than positive that this is mine and Fishlegs' second time encountering this dragon. But you, isn't this your first time seeing this dragon?"

"Yes, this is my first time seeing this dragon. I don't know why it chose to protect me, but what I do know is that that dragon is scared," I said and started walking towards the Chimera Dragon.

The dragon quickly backed away again, still quivering with fear. I decided to try talking to it. "Hey now, it's okay. I know that you're scared, but there's no need to be afraid of me or yourself."

The dragon stopped dead in its tracks when I said that. Then it lowered itself to the ground on all fours. I didn't know how, but I could tell that this dragon was a male, even though I'd never seen this species of dragon before.

I was face-to-face with a scared dragon, but it-no, he let me place one hand underneath his chin and another on top of its snout. "See, there's no threat. You saved my life and tried to protect me, and I thank you for that." When I said this, tears started to flow out the dragon's eyes. I didn't know dragons could cry.

"Wait a minute, can you understand me?" I asked him. He had to understand the meaning of my words , why else would he be crying?

The Chimera Dragon gently backed away from me and slightly opened his mouth to try to make a sound, but nothing came out. Not a growl, nor a coo, not even a faint noise. He looked frustrated with himself and refused to look at me. This dragon behavior was different than that of any other dragon that we had ever encountered. The dragon looked at me one more time with his brown human eyes, eyes that were somehow familiar.

The dragon then turned his attention to Toothless, then they began to stare at each other. Suddenly the Chimera Dragon stood up on his two legs, bent down onto his knees, and bowed to Toothless. The way he was bowing was almost human-like as well. His wings weren't extended, his arms were together facing Toothless, and his neck was at a weird angle so he could put the top of his head on the ground.

"What is he doing?" I asked.

"He…is accepting Toothless as his Alpha."

We turned around to see Valka-Hiccup's mother-on Cloudjumper flying towards us. She landed right next to the Chimera Dragon and quickly dismounted.

"Mom, what are you doing here?" Hiccup asked, happy to see that she was okay.

"I am here to inform you that all the men, women, and children in our village have evacuated and are heading to Dragon island until further notice. Gobber is still trying to help Snotlout and his dragon." Then she looked up at the Chimera Dragon. "I saw the whole incident with this dragon. I was going to help, but for some reason Cloudjumper didn't want to interfere, and I think I know why."

"Because he sense this dragon's presence?" asked Fishlegs curiously.

"I think so."

Then the Chimera dragon suddenly stood up and looked at Hiccup's mother. They stared at each other for a while before the dragon smiled. Then Valka smiled as well and said, "I see, so you are the dragon that I rescued all those years ago. My, my, look at you. You were barely half Cloudjumper's height, and now you're bigger than him, with some muscle too."

The dragon made a noise that sounded suspiciously like laughter.

"Valka, can that dragon understand human speech?" Fishlegs asked.

"I believe he can, dear. He was a bit curious when he was with me in the Bewildebeast's nest when he was injured. He would follow me around for a while, once he trusted me, and he seemed to understand everything I said. He even laughed at my jokes when he was a youngling.

"Amazing. I wonder how a dragon could learn to understand human speech," I thought aloud.

Valka didn't hear me, as she was busy examining the dragon's body. "I also see that those nasty scars have completely disappeared, especially the one that was on your stomach. That was a bad cut, but I see that the scar isn't there anymore. You must heal differently than any other dragon."

Then she looked at Hiccup. "Son, it's best that we meet up with the others on the island."

Hiccup winced. "I know, but I don't want to leave Ronde behind. He gave us this idea, and saved us earlier. We should go look for him."

Then the dragon glared at him and growled. "Whoa, where's this anger coming from? I know you probably remember me from a few weeks ago: I didn't do anything to you," Hiccup said in a panic.

The dragon growled at him again and leapt into the air, flying away from us as fast as he could.

"What is he doing?" I asked, worried for his safety.

The dragon's scales suddenly shifted and changed colors to blend in with the sky, his body seemingly vanishing into thin air.

"That's new, it never did that in the nest," Valka mused.

"Almost like a changewing," Fishlegs added.

I clapped to get everyone's attention. "Guys, let's focus on the people and finding Ronde. Something tells me we're going to run into that dragon again eventually, but right now we need to focus.

"She's right. I'll go check on Gobber and Snotlout," Valka said while climbing on her dragon. "Let's go, Cloudjumper." And with that they took off into the sky.

"Fishlegs, stay here with Meatlug and check on the twins and their dragon," Hiccup ordered, hopping onto Toothless' back. "Astrid, you and I are going to fly close to the ground to try to spot Ronde below.

I nodded to show I understood, then got onto Stormfly's back. With that, we headed out.

[a few minutes later]

Ronde

I was so tired that my legs were shaking. I could barely muster the strength to run, so I was walking out of the forest. Fighting the Bog Burglars, rearranging the dragon traps, and the incident from a few minutes ago took a lot out of me.

But there were too many Bog Burglars. I could handle three, maybe four people by myself at a time. But these guys attacked in unison, and, for a moment, overwhelmed me.

There was even that big guy who nearly cut me in two with his axe, but I taught him that weapons don't make the man. The other Bog Burglars got the drop on me, but they only managed to cut my clothes.

But the incident made me this tired, and I couldn't ignore that. I couldn't ignore them. I just hoped that I didn't kill anyone. But I didn't know if the rest of the Bog Burglars were still coming from the back of the island.

I stepped into the village and looked around. The place was empty. I closed my eyes and tried to listen to the surrounding sounds. I heard wood crackling because of the fire burning the houses, waves in the ocean hitting the shore, and the sound of wings slicing through the air.

"What." I looked up and saw Toothless and Stormfly coming towards me. And if Toothless was here, that meant…

My rage surfaced again when I saw Hiccup's face. He had multiple opportunities to leave and yet he was still here! They both landed in front of me and quickly got off their dragons. "Ronde, are you-"

Hiccup didn't even have time to finish his sentence before I grabbed him with both arms and lifted him off the ground. I yelled in his face, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING STILL HERE?!"

Suddenly my legs gave out. I let go of Hiccup before I fell to the ground, letting out a yelp on impact. Toothless tried to help me up, but I just couldn't stand. I was that tired.

Both Astrid and Hiccup looked down at me. I could tell that they were worried about me, so I tried to sit up, only managing to get on my knees.

Astrid knelt to look me in the eye. "Ronde, what's wrong?"

"Don't worry about me, just get off this island now!" I yelled.

"Not without you," Hiccup said hotly.

"You don't understand, I couldn't stop them-they could be here any second!"

Right then I heard a whoosh coming towards us, but I didn't know where from. Stormfly squawked loudly before she backed away from us, tripping on a rock and stumbling to the ground. I saw a glittering black dart in her neck.

"Stormfly!" Both Astrid and I yelled. I felt so helpless. This was all my fault. If I had just remembered to warn these guys, then none of this would be happening. Out of nowhere something tackled Hiccup. Toothless assumed a defensive position, snarling at whoever attacked his human.

I looked up to see who it was. Some bulky man with a cut on his face. He was using one of his arms to put Hiccup in a headlock and the other to aim a crossbow at Toothless. He began laughing maniacally. "Well congratulations, chief! You forced me to dirty my hands. Cost me my crew and a few dozen boats, so I guess you are worth the bounty after all!"

I tried to stand up, but barely caught myself as I stumbled. "Let him go, you ignorant scoundrel!"

He derisively looked at me with a sneer stuck on his face. "So you must be the boy the Dragon Hunters warned us about. They never told us you were going to be here, but you gave my men quite a fright. So, as a reward, you can witness what this dart can do to a Night Fury."

My eyes widened when I registered what he said. I screamed at Toothless, "TOOTHLESS! MOVE NOW, BEFORE-"

I was too late. He fired at Toothless' chest, right at the base of his neck. "Damn, I missed his body," he remarked.

Instantly Toothless wailed, stumbling back and forth. He stopped for a moment, opened his eyes and mouth, and quickly fired a plasma blast into the forest.

The man laughed. "Aggression. That's a rare effect," he said appreciatively as he watched the chaos ensue.

One after another Toothless began shooting fire all over the place in random directions. Then his eyes focused on us, or rather, on Astrid. His pupils were paper-thin. 'Whatever state he's in, he's not going to recognize us.' But the secondary effect of the dart must have kicked in, for he was struggling to keep his eyes open. But his mouth was still open and glowing; he was going to shoot Astrid.

With the little strength I had left, I stood up and pushed Astrid out of the way.

He fired his plasma blast.

The only thing I saw was a bright light coming towards my face. It hit me, and I welcomed the beauty of unconsciousness.

Astrid

Everything happed so fast and yet so slow. Ronde just pushed me out of the way and I saw the plasma blast hit Ronde's face. The force of the blast completely flipped him over, knocking him a few feet away from me and his body landing facedown. I looked in horror at it. He wasn't moving.

Toothless collapsed.

"RONDE!" I heard Hiccup shout

"Quiet you," the leader said. He quickly hit Hiccup's neck with the side of his hand, rendering him unconscious.

I quickly stood up, grabbing my boot knife.

"Now, now, I wouldn't do that if I were you. I mean, you could try to stop me, but look behind you first.

I didn't look completely behind me. I didn't trust him, but it was enough to see that I was surrounded by the Bog Burglars Ronde warned us about. Their crossbows were at the ready as they aimed at me.

"You can either try to fight us all and die, or help out your little friend over there. The choice is yours, but I'm leaving with this boy." He then nudged Toothless with his boot, fearless now that the dragon was out. "You can keep the dragon. There's no point in keeping those two close together when they can easily escape together."

After he was done talking, he slung Hiccup over his shoulder like an apple sack and began walking towards the forest. I didn't know what to do, so I just stood there. Frozen.

They were gone before long. Then reality hit me. "Ronde…" I ran towards his body. I could still see smoke drifting off the side of his face. I was scared to flip him over and see the blisters and burn marks, but I knew that I had to help him. So I flipped him onto his back. Hesitating for only a second, I looked at his face.

"What?" I was shocked by what I saw. He was completely okay! No burn marks, no blisters, no anything, just steam rolling off his face from the heat of the blast. I put my ear above his chest to check if he was still alive.

I heard his heart beating. He was alive somehow, he was just unconscious. "How did he not get injured?" I asked myself.

I was happy for a moment, but then the reality of the situation hit me. Hiccup was gone. Our village was on fire, but the people had been evacuated. But we lost Hiccup. I cried.

"We lost.

"Hiccup.

"No."


	17. Chapter 15 Set Sail

_**Special Thanks to my Beta Reader Lala2003 and TheLoversTheDreamersAndMe for fixing the grammar in this chapter.**_

* * *

Astrid's POV

It hadn't even been a full minute since the Bog Burglars took Hiccup into the forest, completing their job and leaving us here. Right now, I was trying to wake up Ronde. If anybody could stop them, it was him.

"Ronde, please! Wake up! We need you, please!" I screamed in his face. He didn't respond.

Just then, I heard footsteps coming from behind me. I whipped around to see Fishlegs. The heavy-set boy gasped when he saw Ronde.

"What happened? Is he…?" Fishlegs trailed off, unable to finish. His hands flew to cover his mouth in disbelief.

"No, he's alive but he's injured. He needs help." I tried my best to not show my fear. "Fishlegs, please see if Elder Gothi is still here. If not, go to Dragon Island and tell everyone that it's safe to come back."

"Meatlug is still knocked out. How can I get to dragon island? I don't think we can afford to wait!" He explained frantically.

I thought for a moment about what dragons could still be on the island that hadn't been attacked. There was Grump, Gobber's dragon, but he tended to fall asleep while flying. Gobber should be helping out Snotlout with Hookfang… that's it!

"Hookfang should be up by now! Tell them to send the message, then go see if Gothi is still here!"

He nodded and quickly ran towards the village. I stayed, trying to wake Ronde again. I knew he might not wake up, but I had to try something. "Ronde please get up!

Ronde's POV

...Please...

Get...

Up...

I-l… ca-can't, I'm just… so... tired.

GET.

UP.

The voice changed tone, but I didn't care. I just wanted to rest so I decided not to respond to it.

The voice sounded angry this time and yelled at me_, "I said get up boy!"_

_I responded by saying only one word, "No."_

_He didn't respond. I only heard a grumble, the kind usually followed by a disappointed scowl, then footsteps slowly approaching me. I didn't have the strength to look up. I was staring at the ground. I saw blood, my blood, running down my arms and dripping from my forehead. I was gasping for air._

_I barely had enough strength to look around, but I could see a crowd of people forming outside the training arena, looking in my direction._

_Suddenly a foot came into my view._

_"So you're just going to give up like that? You are a disappointment, my son." He reeled back his foot and suddenly kicked me in the face so hard I flipped and landed on my back._

_"Gahh!" I screamed. This is why I hated training sessions with my father. He never held back, not even for his eight-year-old son. I wasn't even half his height. I tried sitting up and spat some of the blood out of my mouth, I was surprised I didn't lose a tooth from that kick._

_He turned around to look at me. "Still conscious? I guess that's a good sign, so I'll say it again. Get up." His voice was colder than winter itself, but I knew in order to end this training session I had to do what he said._

_I tried to stand up. It was difficult but I managed to get on my feet and look at my father. I only managed to give him a few bruises, while on the other end, he managed to make me look like a bloody mess. "So you do have some more fight left in you, excellent Son!" He then took up the offensive stance, ready to lunge at me._

_"Darn it," I muttered to myself. "Why couldn't his kick just knock me out?" I was breathing heavily, but I tried to place myself in a stance so I could better defend myself when he attacked me._

_Suddenly he launched himself at me, drawing back a fist. I quickly dodged it and pounded his unguarded right sides with my left arm, right in his ribs. But it didn't do anything. It felt like I was punching a brick wall, my father was so well muscled._

_"Good! You're learning as we fight!" I heard him say while preparing another punch. I quickly dodged it but he was faster this time. He tried to punch me in the arm, but I dodged that as well. This process repeated itself faster than the one before. Suddenly, before I could do anything in defense, he swept my feet out from under me and I fell towards the ground. I quickly tried to hold my arms out so I could try to push myself away from him when I landed, but suddenly my father grabbed me by my neck and leg midair and, in a twisting motion, threw me several feet away from him._

_Everything felt like it just happened in slow motion. I saw my mentor with a horrified expression on his face. I looked over to see my mother and sisters wide-eyed. And finally, I saw my grandma on my mother's side with medical supplies and potions waiting to use them on me._

_I hit the ground hard on my back and just laid there, hoping that the training session was over. I didn't want to do this anymore._

_"Get up boy! We're not finished yet!" My father yelled. He was never satisfied at the level I was currently at, he was never proud of me when it came to combat, no matter my progression. He was only impressed by my level of strategy but, as usual, it was never enough for him. Nothing was. So I just decided to lie still on my back, staring at the blue sky and wishing I could escape from this place._

_Suddenly, I heard footsteps approaching me. I tried to lift my head to see what was going on. I glimpsed my mentor attempting to stop my father by talking him out of it. A moment passed. I heard my father scream, "Fine! I'll stop for now but tomorrow I'm going at him twice as hard. He needs to learn." Suddenly a rush of energy hit me hard because of my anger and I stood up and yelled._

_"LEARN WHAT!?"_

_Both my mentor and my father looked at me so I continued._

_"Pain and suffering, is that what you're teaching me? What exactly am I learning by fighting you? All you do is torture me, you don't even hold back against me! Your only SON! I'm not even a teen, but you put me in a group for young warriors that is meant for teenagers that are older than me! I am eight-years-old, yet I still excelled in those groups. But it's never enough for you! When will it ever be enough? What am I to you? A punching bag or a joke!?"_

_I looked towards my mentor who had a small, sad smile on his face. He knew what I said was true and I think he was impressed by the way I was standing up for myself. But my father was not smiling. His facial expression was more than anger. This was Rage. It terrified me. I have never seen him this mad. He began stomping towards me. My mentor tried to stop him but then my father quickly pushed him down._

_Out of pure fear, my legs gave out and I fell to my knees, shaking like a leaf. He stopped in front of me and knelt to my level. Making eye contact with me, he put his hand on top of my head, rubbing it gently with a fake smile. "You are neither, you are more than what you say that you are my son," he said._

_'No, he's being too soft. This was some sort of trick to lower my guard so he could hurt me,' I thought. He continued._

_"Son, you are the pride of this nation. You and your sisters are going to be the generation that will lead us to the future." He grabbed my hair, gripping it tightly and forced me to my feet._

_"Aghhh!" I screamed, scrabbling at his hand. It only made the pain worse as his crushing grip tightened even more. I forced my legs to stand on his level even though it felt like they could give out any moment._

_He was now standing at his full height._

_"A future where we can all come together in peace, just like the dragons did. When I led our people to the nest and killed that monster where it slept." His monstrously strong arm lifted me off the ground and I screamed even louder. Ignoring me, he continued, "Even though that day did cost us a heavy toll, it also brought us closer to Salvation. Peace cannot exist without sacrifice. And unfortunately, sacrifice leads to death. It will all be worth it in the name of peace and prosperity. But the children of your generation can only learn from pain." He dropped me to the ground and I fell. He delivered a swift punch to my stomach, knocking the wind out of me._

_"Agh..." I could barely make a sound or breathe. I laid on the ground, clutching my stomach, trying to catch my breath. Suddenly, my father put his foot on my head while I was on the ground, pressing down heavily. I couldn't scream, I couldn't do anything. It felt like I was dying._

_"I am sorry, my son, but I must teach you that the world is full of pain, sorrow, and misery. I only teach you those things to toughen you up since eventually, you are going to take my place, if your sisters don't make the cut."_

_I tried to look up at my father's gaze so he could see my anger. But when I looked, the only thing I saw in his eyes was pity and disappointment. "Pain is an excellent teacher, it makes us stronger, more resilient, so remember this pain, my son, and let it awaken you."_

_He removed his boot from my head. I was relieved from the pressure, but then I heard him lean down towards me and say, "Also, my son, remember this: 'History is written by the victors, not the victims.'" After he said that, he walked away. "Get some rest, boy, you're going to need it for tomorrow."_

_He grabbed a rag to wipe my blood from his knuckles and he left the training ring. Once he was out of sight, my family and my mentor came to my aid. "Ronde!" I heard them all scream my name. "Are you okay? Please be okay!" I heard both my sisters say. I was laying on my side, holding my stomach. "I don't think he can talk right now," my mentor said to them. "Ronde, just breathe, take your time." My mentor was trying to calm me down with our breathing exercise. "In and out. Focus on my breathing. Try to match it."_

_I focused on his breathing pattern and tried to match it with my own. "Just like that, there you go. How do you feel?"_

_I barely had the strength to say anything, but I tried._

_"Tired..." was all I could muster. Suddenly my mother lifted me off the ground and placed my head onto her lap. She was stroking my hair gently._

_"Rest Ronde, it's all over now," She said so softly. "Grandmother and I will attend to your wounds so sleep, for now. You deserve to rest." She began humming a melody that she used to sing when I was younger. It was old but it always puts my mind at ease. I slowly fell into a troubled sleep._

Astrid's POV

It had been 5 hours since the attack and most of our tribe had already returned.

Fishlegs and I were in Elder Gothi's home with Ronde, who seemed to be in stable condition. Our dragons were outside, almost fully recovered, but Toothless had taken it the hardest. He was searching all around the forest for Hiccup's scent and couldn't find him. I believed him to be in mourning.

Gothi wasn't here, so we decided to wait. She was attending to some of the injuries in some of the villages. Believe it or not, she was helping out the Bog Burglars who we had captured and the ones that were involved in the Chimera Dragon rampage. It had been reported that there were no casualties from either us or the Bog Burglars, which was good news for us, but then again, if the Bog Burglars tried to get us when our guard was lowered, it would have been all too easy. Still, if they wanted to escape they could. Instead they had allowed themselves to be captured. I believed that the remaining groups saw no other way to escape. There were only fifty-three that we had captured, some of them were in our holding cells but most of them were in the Kill Ring where we used to keep our dragons.

Ronde was breathing normally now, but he still wouldn't wake up. I just couldn't believe that he survived a plasma blast to the face with no injuries. Was it possible that I had imagined it? No, even if he was hit somewhere else on his body, it should have done some serious damage. So how did he not get injured at all? It was hard to believe that it was only the middle of the afternoon.

Suddenly the door opened to reveal the Elder. "You're here, can you help Ronde, please, Gothi?"

She nodded and inspected him, then she began to scribble on the ground. Fishlegs translated, "She said to help her take off his shirt."

"Okay, Fishlegs help me lift him." He nodded and placed his hands behind Ronde's back and began lifting him. Ronde didn't move. I lifted his arms in an attempt to take off his shirt, and when I did, all that was left was his undershirt made out of scales. I hesitated. The scales on his undershirt were the same shade of purple as the Chimera Dragon. That had to be a coincidence, right?

"What's wrong, Astrid?" Fishlegs asked, breaking me out of my trance.

I didn't know what to say at that moment, but it didn't matter, my priorities lie in helping Ronde.

"Nothing. I'll tell you later," I responded. I continued trying to take off his shirt. Ronde was right, however, when he told me that he couldn't knit very well. He had obviously wrapped the shredded scales to make it look like some kind of crude shirt. I unwrapped the undershirt from around his body until it was completely off of him and that's when I saw it. I gasped out loud.

"Astrid?" Fishlegs asked, concerned.

I was impressed and horrified by what I saw. I was impressed because I thought he was skinny with maybe a hint of some muscle, but his toned, sculpted torso sent that idea flying from my brain.

The horrifying part was the scars all over his body. They all looked like they had healed well, but were still quite noticeable when uncovered. They were littered all over his chest, sides, and back. And there were two that were quite noticeable; the one running down the length of his chest to the bottom of his stomach looked like something had swiped him with its claws, As was the one centred at the bottom of his stomach. It was slashed horizontally across, giving the impression someone had tried to cut him in half. That scar didn't look like it was fully healed.

"I'm sorry, it was just the amount of scars on his body that shocked me," I said to reassure them that I was okay.

Fishlegs lifted Ronde on the bed and let Elder Gothi examine his body. She prodded him, checked his pulse and looked at his scars. She examined him for a few more minutes and then finally she began writing on the ground.

Fishlegs translated, "She says there's nothing wrong with him, he's just unconscious and probably will remain unconscious for the rest of the day. She says we should give him time to rest."

That was all? He was just unconscious so there were no injuries or anything else wrong with him? Was I going crazy? There had to be some sign that he'd been hit with a plasma blast, I thought to myself.

The Elder said her goodbyes and left to tend the others that were injured. I sat down on a chair right next to Ronde's bed. "I'm going crazy…" I muttered to myself.

"Astrid." I looked over towards Fishlegs. "What happened when we separated into groups?" I sighed, I guessed I should tell him everything that I knew.

"When we separated, we found Ronde coming out of the forest with cuts all over his clothes and he seemed to be exhausted. After he yelled at Hiccup, he tried to warn us that you can stop all of the Bog Burglars coming from the back of the village. Before we had a chance to respond, a leader that I thought had gotten away somehow eluded us, shot Stormfly with a dart and captured Hiccup." I looked towards the ceiling. I wanted to do something, anything to try to wake up Ronde and get Hiccup back. Fishlegs placed one hand on my shoulder to get me to calm down.

"Astrid it's okay to take your time, then tell me what happened next, okay?"

I didn't realize it, but I was breathing hard. I was just so frustrated. I felt like I should have done more, but what could I have done? I tried to continue with the story.

"Ronde was so exhausted he couldn't defend himself or help us. He could barely stand as it was. And somehow the leader knows about him, and I believe it's because the Dragon Hunters warned them. But the leader shot a dart at Toothless and he went crazy shooting plasma blasts everywhere until the last shot was coming towards me. Ronde pushed me out the way, and, believe it or not, the plasma blast hit him in the face. Somehow he's alive, not even injured."

Fishlegs took a step back from me, baffled and said, "Ar-are you sure that happened to him?"

"No, I'm not sure if I'm going crazy or the stress of everything that's happened is finally getting to me, but that's what I remember, it all happened so fast." Then I looked at Fishlegs, "If it did hit him in the face, is there any possible logical explanation for why he's not injured, Fishlegs?"

He was thinking while walking towards the other side of the room to sit in a chair.

"The only thing I can think of is maybe because it was Toothless's last shot it was probably weaker compared to the other previous shots he fired, but then again, it's still a plasma blast. He still should be injured so I don't know."

So even Fishlegs didn't know, I guess it was possible that I imagined it because of the bright light. It probably hit him in his chest and because of the force, it probably knocked him out. It was the only explanation I can think of. And the dragon scales underneath his shirt must have protected him from any further damage. I looked over at Ronde still sleeping peacefully. It looked like he was in a better condition than a few hours ago. Then I looked over towards Fishlegs and he was rapidly tapping his fingers together as if he was bothered by something. "What's wrong, Fishlegs? Is something on your mind?"

"Oh, uh it's just The Chimera Dragon and the interaction between Ronde and the Bog Burglars," He explained.

I could understand about the Chimera Dragon. It came out of nowhere and saved my life, but the interaction between Ronde and the Bog Burglars? "What do you mean?"

"Well, don't take this the wrong way, but why did that dragon save you? Wasn't that your first time seeing that dragon?" He asked.

"Yes, I never have seen that dragon before and why it decided to protect me I don't know but..."

Fishlegs leaned a little closer to hear what I was about to say. "But What?"

"When I looked the dragon in the eye it had recognition in it. And when I got injured it sounded like it tried to speak with me, it almost sounded like it was trying to say: 'are you hurt?'"

Fishlegs leaned back in his chair and looked at the ceiling. "Hmm. That dragon is very intelligent. Valka did say that the dragon does understand our language so it wouldn't surprise me if he tried to mimic us. And somehow that dragon was able to communicate to Stormfly, giving her commands to fly away from you so the dragon could tackle the bog burglars and save you, but that dragon acted more civilized than a wild dragon should be. But the moment it saw you injured it was acting more like a feral dragon than anything else," Fishlegs mused.

"Then when it finished off the remaining Bog Burglars it had its sights set on us next until our dragons decided to try to calm it down," I finished his explanation.

"Right, its actions and reactions are more than just intelligence. It's like us humans; it grieves, it laughs, it shows emotion. I'm not saying our dragons don't do the same things but it feels like there's something more to the Chimera dragon. Maybe Ronde was right, the dragon's intelligence is like ours or at least something like us," Fishlegs replied.

That dragon was smart for what I'd seen it do. But why did the dragon protect me? The dragon behavior was off as well, it smiled at me and was concerned about me. But the one thing I couldn't get out of my head was why did the dragon's eyes look so familiar, as if I had seen them before? It didn't have typical dragon eyes with just the color and iris, no, there was something different about these eyes. Something… human.

"I think Ronde knows Krogan," Fishlegs said, snapping me out of my train of thought.

"What makes you say that?" I inquired, setting my chin in my hand.

"The interaction between The Bog Burglars and Ronde," Fishlegs began. "One of them said that Ronde looks like Krogan. I thought that they were being rude at first, but Ronde responded by asking how they knew that name. It shocks me to think that it's possible for Ronde to know Krogan."

I was about to respond, but then I heard a voice behind me.

"It's because he and I are from the same Clan."

Both Fishlegs and I turned around to see Ronde sitting on a bed with a very aggravated look on his face.

"He was one of the leaders for my people's army when I was a kid. He was suspected of high treason and before he was prosecuted, he escaped custody, most likely to work with the leaders of the Dragon Hunters." He got up from the bed and sighed. "I'm not related to him in any way. We just come from the same place of origin."

"Ronde, how long have you been awake?" I asked.

"Since the ending of the Chimera Dragon discussion," Ronde replied, getting up from the bed. "Right now I am very irritated so do me a favor and answer these questions. Did the Bog Burglars take Hiccup?"

"Yes." I gave a nod with my response.

He groaned in annoyance. "How long was I out for?"

"Five to six hours," Fishlegs stated.

"So there's still time… where are the Bog Burglars you managed to capture and imprison?"

How did he know that we captured any?

"Most of them are in the ring where we have dragon training. Some of them are being treated for their wounds." After I said that, I noticed how he was shaking from either anger or fear. After a moment, he finally spoke. "Were there any casualties during the Chimera Dragon's attack?"

What in Thor's name? Why would he care?

"No, by some miracle no one was killed."

Ronde then exhaled the breath that he was holding. Was he relieved about that?

Then he grabbed his shirt and undershirt to put on while saying, "This is what happens when no one follows my plans to the letter. If Hiccup would have left, none of this would have happened." He looked at Fishlegs then me. "But I guess it's my fault for not realizing that you vikings are stubborn as HELL!"

Once he had his shirt on, he opened the door to leave. Before he left, he turned and said to us, "Meet me at the Ring in thirty minutes with the twins and Snotlout so we can discuss a plan that we all can agree on. We're getting Hiccup back before morning if we are fast enough." He walked out the door, slamming it behind him.

Fishlegs and I glanced at each other. "I thought the Elder said Ronde was going to be out all day," Fishlegs said.

"I guess Ronde had other plans, but I wonder if he is going to be okay…" I mused.

Ronde's POV

By this point I was starting to believe stubbornness and stupidity have the same meaning in this place, all they had to do was leave, but they wouldn't even do that. I glanced around. The Village looked a mess, but it seemed everyone had returned, so they did follow through some of my plans.

I walked through the remains of the village. Although the damage wasn't too bad it would take some time to repair it all, especially some of the houses the dragons crashed into.

My head ached slightly, but I was almost healed, I bet I could do it twice more today, but after that, I'd be exhausted again. So, I'd have to make it count by rescuing Hiccup, but I needed a plan.

I could think of three that involve our dragons but I was afraid that they'd be expecting that. The island by dragon is probably four to five hours away, so we could probably catch up to them easily since they were traveling by ships. But what would happen if they used those darts on our dragons while we were flying over the ocean? How could we even rescue him if Hiccup was on a boat? One of us would have to get off our dragon and confront them, and from what I could tell, this group relied too much on their dragons.

So many things could have gone wrong, so I guessed the best thing to do was sneak on to their island and rescue him from there. A basic stealth mission, but they'd be expecting us on our dragons, so they would most likely have had high defenses and scouts in the air. We needed to be invisible. I was starting to wish that I could do this by myself, but I knew the others would complain so I'd just have to make do.

I finally made it to the ring, and it was heavily guarded. Vikings holding weapons stood on either side of the gate.

"Halt!" One of the guards protecting the entrance said to me. "State your business here."

I was already frustrated and I'd already snapped once today. I didn't feel like going through this again, so I said with a calm voice, "I'm here to interrogate the Bog Burglars you captured."

Both guards at the front gate laughed me down.

"You? Interrogating them? They haven't talked all day and you can't even intimidate us. What makes you any different?" The second guard sneered.

"Because you Vikings are all talk and no action. You're not following through on your threats. Even if you do the things you threatened, you do it in a very stupid manner that usually gets you or someone else injured." Both Vikings raised their weapons towards me. "Now if I were you, I would let me through and put down your weapons before I take them and shove them right up your-"

"Whoa, whoa, it's okay, he's with me. You can let him through," a familiar voice cut in behind me. I turned around to see Gobber coming towards me. He looked slightly out of breath. He must've run to get over here. Both guards lowered their weapons and opened the gate without even talking back to Gobber.

"Thank you for that," I said.

"Aye. It's not a problem. I heard from Astrid that you're coming up with a plan to get Hiccup back? And I'm assuming that you're here to get the information about where they're taking him?"

"No, I already know where they're taking him, I just need to know why they took him," I replied.

"Wait. What?" Gobber paused, confused.

"When this tribe of Bog Burglars raids or attacks a village, they go for the small and defenseless ones to get what they're after. Your village is small, but your defenses are high because of your dragons. I know they knew this, so I'm wondering why they wanted to attack this island in the first place."

"I see, well, good luck making them talk, we've been trying for the past few hours. None of them want to talk."

"I have a few methods to make them talk. By the way, do the villagers know about the situation with Hiccup?" I asked.

"Only a chosen few who are trustworthy enough to keep that information to themselves but the rest of the village, no. We are afraid that might cause a panic throughout the village," Gobber replied.

"Good, let's keep it that way. I will try my best to get him back before tomorrow afternoon at the latest. I know about the Day of Peace, so the faster I get this done the easier I can rest. So, if you can do me a favor and stand right next to the gate and wait for the others to come by, I'll appreciate that."

"Alright, just hurry. I don't think we have that much time left before people get suspicious.

"Will do. Just have faith in me."

He didn't say anything, he just nodded his head and proceeded to go back towards the gate while I kept heading in the direction of the prison cell in the ring. For I could tell this was probably the place where they used to kill dragons, or at least train the younger Vikings to fight dragons.

I could see two prison cells up ahead, but the one on the left was open and I could see at least fifteen to twenty people on this side of the prison. One of them must have noticed me because I heard, "Oh no! Not you!"

I noticed it was the one that was sitting down who had said it. He was in an awkward position, probably hurt, and I felt guilty. But I tried to keep my composure and said, "Great so you know me, no need for introductions then. I assume you know why I'm here?" I asked.

"If you think you're getting any information out of any of us then you're wrong, we're not telling you anything." He responded.

"Well, you're right about one thing. I don't need any of you to tell me anything I need one of you to explain something to me. But You're wrong about this: if you don't think I can make you talk, you're going to learn a new lesson about pain."

He recoiled back when I said that, but when he tried to stand up, he was obviously having a hard time, which made me feel even more guilty and then he started limping towards me in front of the prison cell. "You know nothing of pain, and if you think that you know anything about us you are sadly mista—ahh!" I grabbed the man's throat out of anger. I wasn't choking him, but I was gripping him with just enough force for the others to get the message.

"You don't know anything about me," I hissed, real quiet.

The remaining men inside the cells tried to get up and attempt to free the man that I had in a chokehold, but then I said, "If I were you, I would stay where you are, any closer and I'll break his neck." I was bluffing. I wasn't going to kill this man just so I could have some information that I probably already knew, but I was already aggravated, so the tone of my voice was colder than I expected.

Some of them sat down because of their injuries and the others backed away. I turned my attention towards the person that was in front of me. "You see, I know what it's like to feel pain both physically and mentally and it's taxing on the body, but you misunderstand. I just want you to answer a few questions. I already know who you guys are and where you're from."

The guy in front of me was confused. "What? Impossible! There is no way you know about us."

"You're the Bog Burglars, or more specifically Bog Burglars from the Mist tribe, one of three tribes. Within your island, your job is to make as much money for your island by doing things such as collecting bounties or letting people hire you to do their dirty work. The other two try to work on housing and food. Your leader is Bertha but she goes by another name which I'm not willing to say. She has a daughter and I'm more than positive she wouldn't allow this type of raid on a village, especially if it could lead to war."

They all gasped, then the person in front of me said, "How do you know this!?"

"I've been to your island before in a disguise a few years back when you started dividing into those tribes to have a better system for your people, which was actually pretty smart. I have to give it to Bertha for that. It's a system almost similar to my country which is why I remember." After I said that I released my grip on his neck, he fell.

"Like I said, I'm only here so you can answer a few questions. After that I have to do one more thing, then I'll leave you alone and I'll tell the villagers to leave you alone as well… at least until we decide what to do with you. Do we have a deal or should I get the dragons?"

He looked scared, then he turned around towards his people, asking for their support. After a few moments, he looked back towards me and said, "If you already know who we are and where we're from then we've already lost, so what do you want to know?"

They lost their fighting spirits just because I knew where they were from? Maybe there was something more to this. "Tell me why are you working with the Dragon Hunters? I know your clan isn't too fond of dragons but you guys don't have a problem with raids, unlike these other villages so why?"

They were all mumbling to each other until one of them finally spoke up. "Before all of this, they were our buyers when it came to our solution for our tranquilizing darts. And because they knew about our tribe raiding villages and other places, one thing led to another and we got some unwanted attention."

There was only one thing that came to my mind when he said unwanted attention. "Let me guess, The Warlords?"

They all had the same reaction: they all looked towards me and another one stood up and said, "Y-yes."

Lowered my head to the ground, there was just no end to this when it came to them!

Another one continued their story. "We had no choice but to align ourselves with them, otherwise they would have attacked and destroyed our home. We saw their armies, there was no chance of stopping them so we chose the path towards survival."

I decided not to say anything and let them say what they had to say.

The man in front of me was the next one to speak. "We didn't want it to end up this way but we had no choice. Once we saw the bounty on the chief of Berk's head, we knew we had to take up that offer so we could have enough money to leave our Island and settle on a new one, but it was just a dream."

I decided to speak. "I'm sorry to hear that, I really am. You were trying to get out of a hopeless situation, but because of your actions more people are going to suffer."

They all remained quiet but they were always staring at me. "Look I understand that you were scared but because of your fear, more people are in danger, especially if the warlords understand how to gain a dragon's trust. So for my punishment, I need one of you to give me your clothes right now."

"What?" they all yelped.

"Not all of your clothes! Just your vests and your helmets. I'm getting their chief back and going to need a disguise."

Astrid's POV

I brought over the people that Ronde told me to bring over and we were waiting for him to respond.

He looked at us and sighed, "This is the weirdest group I ever had to be a part of, and that's saying something."

"We have a warrior." He pointed towards me.

"A geek." He pointed at Fishlegs

"Hey, that's not nice," responded Fishlegs.

"Insanity times two." He gestured to the twins.

"And You…" he faced Snotlout. "There is not a word in our current vocabulary that can describe you, and you should be very proud of that.

Everyone including myself stifled a laugh but Ronde continued.

"That being said, and I really hate to say this, but you are the key to making this rescue a success."

"Tell us your plan," Fishlegs ordered.

"Okay, but do not interrupt me. I'll explain why we're taking these steps and if you want to change it, we can discuss it on our way there. Now can everyone agree with this?"

We all nodded. I could already tell that he was a little irritated now, but hopefully his plan would work.

"Let's start with this: we are not riding our dragons to rescue Hiccup."

"What!?" yelled Snotlout. "What do you mean we can't, it's faster that way!"

Ronde did a sharp inhale and tried to suppress his anger. "What did I just say? LET ME FINISH!"

Snotlout took a step back.

"Now, as I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted, we're not riding our dragons to rescue Hiccup. However, we are taking them."

Everybody was confused about what Ronde was talking about. If we weren't going to ride them, how were we going to take them?

"We're getting to their island on my boat. It has enough room for all of us and our dragons. Yes, I know it's slower but if we were to take our dragons and catch up to them, they could easily shoot us down in the open ocean and our dragons will drown. We'll have no way to escape. And another thing, if we were to make it to their island, they will expect us on our dragons, so they have high security scouting the air."

I could see what he was talking about, how it would be slower, but the rate of us succeeding would be much higher if we took our time.

"Another thing is there are going to be just us six on my boat. There is no point taking Valka or Eret. The more people that we have for this mission, the fewer chances we have to rescue Hiccup. Now before I can continue, I need to show you something." He turned his gaze towards Fishlegs. "Do you have my book on you right now?"

"Yes, I do actually, give me a minute." He looked through the pouch he always carried around with him. "Ah, here it is." He handed it over.

Ronde grabbed it out of his hand. "Thank you." Ronde then placed the book on the floor and went to the very last page of his book. Within the last page of this book was a hidden pocket full of folded papers.

"I didn't know that was back there," Fishlegs remarked.

Ronde pulled out a piece of paper and began unfolding it. "You weren't supposed to," he replied.

He completely unfolded it, revealing it to be a map. "This is a map I created during the seven years I roamed around the world."

He signaled everyone to come closer to look at the map. "Berk, your home is located here." He pointed towards an island to the far-left on his map. "And I know that it's far, but we should be able to make it there before the sunrise of tomorrow. Here's where they took Hiccup." He pointed towards the middle of his map. "Their island is in this area."

Everyone seemed to gasp in amazement, but he continued without pausing to indulge the Vikings in their fascination. " I know that it's far but the chances of rescuing him are much higher if we take my boat instead of riding our dragons. Plus my boat is a Dragon Hunter boat so that means they won't expect us at all when we reach them."

He stood up, closing his book while still holding up a map. "Now, who's good at navigation and sailing? I would do it myself but the dragons might have a hard time on my ship, so myself and another person will take care of that."

"I believe I can handle navigation," said Fishlegs.

"And I can sail the boat!" yelled Snotlout.

Ronde looked at Snotlout with one eyebrow raised. "You? Sail my boat?" He looked towards the sky and sighed. "Well it's either you or the twins and I really don't think I have a choice in the matter, do I? Fine, Fishlegs will tell you where to go and you will listen, okay?"

"Fine!" he yelled while turning around with his arms crossed.

"The twins can stay on deck and stand watch." Then he turned to face me. "Astrid and I will handle the dragons. Those are the roles, stick to them please."

I guessed that would give me some time to talk to him. This whole situation was weird and I had a feeling that he knew something that he wasn't telling us.

"Now for the next step of the plan, and this is where things get a little complicated." He walked close to a prison cell and grabbed something and brought it back to us. "Snotlout, as much as I hate to say this again, you are the key to make this rescue successful. I'm going to need you to wear this disguise, go to their village and gather as much information about Hiccup as possible."

"What!? Do you really think it's going to be that easy? And why did you choose me!?" Snotlout screamed.

"Yes, I believe it's going to be that easy because they like to share information with one another. Information is power where they're from. Power can lead to more money especially when it comes to this tribe. Why I chose you is because you are the only one here who can match the body shape of a young Bog Burglar man, you'll fit right in."

Ronde tossed the clothes towards Snotlout, who caught them midair. "Put those on when it's time to leave. While you're gathering information inside the village, the rest of us will stay on the boat waiting for your return. You come back with the information as soon as you can and tell me. I will go and look for Hiccup while you guys remain on the boat."

Why is he always the one that has the most dangerous job? He always puts himself in danger when it comes to his Island and when it came to the raid earlier today, I thought, somewhat irritated.

He continued to explain his plan. "If I don't return within an hour or two or if you guys are discovered, leave the boat, fly away on the dragons to a safe distance away from the island and just kind of hangout until I can get a signal out to you, like a fire or something else that is visible at all corners of the island. Then come rescue Hiccup and I."

"Is that it?" I asked.

"Yes, if you want to make any changes to this plan, that makes sense. Please discuss them with me while we're on the ship. We need to leave here within the next hour. So grab some supplies and food and water because we're going to be sailing for a while."

He began to walk away from us. "Astrid and Fishlegs, you guys know where my boat is. When you're all packed, meet up and take the others to it. I will see you within an hour."

I tried to catch up with him to stop him. I needed to know something, "Ronde wait I-!"

He turned around and looked at me and said in a calm voice, "We'll talk, but not now. I know you have questions but I can't answer them right now." He was about to walk off again but then he stopped. "Oh, wait, where is Toothless? We might need him."

"He might be in Hiccup's house or somewhere in the forest searching for him," I told him.

He was slightly surprised and said, "Oh I see...I'll go get him. You can get your stuff ready and take the others to the ship within the hour. I'll see you then, goodbye." He turned around and walked away.

He knows I have questions so that means he might know about my suspicions about him. This is all so weird. How is he not injured from taking a hit from Toothless' plasma blast? And our Elder said he should be unconscious all day today and, through my experiences, she's never wrong when it comes to a person's health.

I tried to compose myself and turned around to inform the others. "You guys heard what he said, let's get our stuff ready and meet him on his boat."

Everyone nodded in agreement and we all went our separate ways outside the ring.

"Hiccup, just wait a little longer we're coming to get you."

Almost an hour later, we were all heading to Ronde's vessel atop our dragons. It was just over the beach next to the sea stacks on the far side of the island. When we got close enough I realized how big this ship was. It was huge! How did he manage to steal this? We landed on his ship but he wasn't anywhere in sight.

"Ronde we're here!" Snotlout shouted. "Where are you!?"

Suddenly the floor began to vibrate and heard a noise underneath the floorboard then I heard a muffled voice. "I'll be up there in a sssecond." Did he just slur his words?

A huge latch on the floor opened up in front of us. Toothless climbed out and Ronde followed. "There is enough room for your dragons at the bottom of the ship so they can rest."

He sounded tired for some odd reason and he was slightly out of breath. "Ronde, are you okay?" I asked.

He looked towards me and said, "I just...need to sit down and think."

"Uh, Ronde, this isn't a boat, this is a ship," Fishlegs said nervously.

"Believe me when I say that compared to the ships to where I'm from, this is a boat," he responded. He looked towards the remaining of our group. "Fishlegs and Snotlout use the lever to pull up the anchor right next to the steering wheel in the back. I'll take dragons below into the pens." Then he looked directly at Fishlegs, "Please make sure he's going in the right direction." They both went towards the back of the boat which I assumed was where the helm was.

"Wait, what about us?" Ruffnut asked.

"Watch for any unusual activity, in the sky or the air," Ronde quickly replied.

He then whistled to get the attention of the dragons. He signaled them to follow him below deck. I followed behind, herding them down. The opening of the hatch was big enough for all of our dragons to fit through. Once below deck, I glanced around. What appeared to be several prison cells lined the walls. Ronde led the dragons, one by one, into the cells, leaving the doors open so they wouldn't feel trapped. Hookfang was uneasy going into a cell.

"This is for your safety. I know you want to get out and move around but not now, you need to hide until our job is done, okay?" Ronde said to Hookfang. Hookfang tiptoed nervously into the cell.

I guided Stormfly into the remaining cell and turned to Ronde.

"Just like that island, we'll stop to take a rest. You and I can be alone together again," he mentioned as he glanced up at the wooden ceiling and sighed heavily. "Only this time there's more at stake."

I walked towards the opposite wall and leaned against it. Something seemed off about him. "Ronde, are you sure you're alright?"

"I'm just... irritated… that no one listened to my plan and because of that we're in this situation right now. Above all else, I'm upset with myself."

"Why are you mad at yourself? None of this is your fault," I replied. He looked at me with a guilty expression then he looked towards the floor.

"You were going to find this out eventually, so I might as well just tell you now."

"Tell me what?" I queried, slightly concerned.

"I knew that the Bog Burglars were going to raid your village," Ronde said with a huff.

"What are you talking about?" I asked, confused.

"Before I came to your village, I arrived at this boat, trying to rescue captured dragons that the Dragon Hunters had stolen, and to put a stop to the Warlords. While I was there, I heard two Hunters talking about your village and saying that they were planning a raid with the Bog Burglars." He put his hands on top of his head. "I was being selfish. I was more focused on saving the dragons on my island than trying to warn you guys. That's why it's my fault for letting this happen. If I had just remembered to warn you guys, this wouldn't have happened, but the situation with the Foreverwing, and my trial and…" Ronde looked so distressed and on the verge of crying. "I'm so sorry."

I can see how he was frustrated with himself but at the same time I don't really blame him for not remembering after everything that he's been through for this past week. He said that the Dragon Hunters were going to raid us as well, but there weren't any that I saw.

At length, I spoke. "I understand why you're frustrated, but after what you just said it seemed like this whole situation could have been a lot worse if it wasn't for you."

He looked at me with a confused expression. "What are you talking about?"

"You said that the Dragon Hunters and The Bog Burglars were going to raid our village, but I didn't see any Dragon Hunters," I said.

I think it was at that moment he realized what I was trying to say but before he had a chance to respond, I continued. "I could be wrong but I think that it had something to do with the encounter on your island. The Foreverwing attack might have destroyed their opportunity to raid our village so they just hired the Bog Burglars to do it for them. Ronde, do you know what that means?"

"I think I do, but I think it's better to hear from another person," he muttered.

"It means if we had never met both the Bog Burglars and the Dragon Hunters, they would have possibly destroyed our village if they were to work together," I said with a smile.

He looked at me with disbelief and said, "So you're not mad at me?"

This was a weird feeling because I was upset that he had known and didn't tell us, but at the same time —with everything he had been through— I could understand how he forgot to tell us.

"I don't know about being mad at you, but I do understand why you forgot to tell us about it."

He began to chuckle to himself. "I guess that's the best I'm going to get huh? Well, at least you're honest." He began to stand up, looking towards the ground and I heard him whisper. "You sound just like my Dam..."

"Who is this Dam?" I asked him.

He must have not realized he had spoken aloud because he quickly said, "I don't want to talk about my past and I'm getting upset again, Astrid."

Then I quickly remembered his outburst this morning. "Speaking of getting upset, are you okay? I never have seen anyone get so mad that they managed to break a wooden bow just by throwing it to the ground." He looked shocked.

"I broke it? That was a good bow too. I guess I don't know my own strength when I'm mad." Then he sighed and looked at me. "Snotlout said something that I was already thinking about, and what he said was true."

"Snotlout was just upset about losing. Ronde, you shouldn't take it personally," I replied.

"I know he was trying to get underneath my skin, but he made a few valid points that I couldn't ignore." Snotlout making valid points? It must be the end of days! I pushed away my distracting thoughts and continued to converse with him.

"Like what?" Ronde had a serious face when he looked at me. "I am a danger to your village and I might bring unwanted attention. I believe this more than ever now that the Bog Burglars know that I'm in your village. They will tell the Dragon Hunters and I'm not sure if it will benefit you guys or make your current situation worse." I didn't know what he meant by that.

"How? Now I'm confused," I remarked.

"Aaaand that's my life for you. Hiccup isn't the only person with a bounty on his head."

I was shocked when he said that.

"Y-you?"

"Not sure, but it's very likely," he said, "It's probably not as high as Hiccup's but you have to understand, I have been interfering with the Dragon Hunters' business for almost six months. It wouldn't surprise me if they did that." So that was why.

"So once we rescue Hiccup, and when the day of peace is over I might leave your village."

"Why would you do that Ronde?" I asked in disbelief.

"I said might. Chances are the Bog Burglars think I'm dead, and will most likely tell the Dragon Hunters. If that's true then I might stay in your village a little bit longer but eventually, I am going to leave."

When he said that, he reminded me of why I had come down here in the first place. How was he not injured? Why was he putting himself in danger? So I asked, "Ronde now that I think about it how did you-?"

He put his hand up to try to tell me to remain quiet and said, "I'll answer your questions once EVERYONE GOES BACK TO THEIR POSITIONS AND STOPS EAVESDROPPING!" He shouted at the ceiling.

Multiple footsteps pounding above our heads scattered around the ship. I guess he somehow knew that the others were listening to our conversation. He quickly got up, went towards the open latch and closed it. "I guess that was my fault for leaving that open. I thought that people would be more concerned about Hiccup instead of invading our privacy." He walked farther down the hallway closer to the end and signaled me to follow him.

"Why are we over here?" I asked.

"You have questions and —depending on what they are— I'll answer them. We have to be quiet in case they're eavesdropping again." He quickly said. "Now what do you want to know?"

I would take what I could get, I just had to know this one thing: "How are you not injured? I saw Toothless' plasma blast hit you."

"That's because… I used my arms to block the blast at the last second, thanks to the dragon scales. The force from the blast knocked me out," he explained.

There was something wrong when he said that because of his tone. Was he lying?

"Anyway what's your next question?"

Why was he acting so strange when I asked him that question? But I continued. "Do you really think that this plan is going to work?"

"As long as Snotlout does his part, yes I believe it can work."

I noticed how his tone shifted compared to the last question. This question was answered with truth and confidence.

"Why are you always putting yourself in the most dangerous position on a mission? This is the third time I noticed, on your island, the Bog Burglars attack and now this. Why?"

"So you noticed that. I don't like putting others in danger because of my past experiences. I'm used to doing dangerous things by myself, plus I don't know the strengths and weaknesses of my allies if I do decide to work with a team."

I could see why, but I felt like there was more to that than what he was saying. Before I could ask, the floor began to wobble back and forth.

"I guess they finally decided to move the boat," Ronde remarked. "Looks like we're going to be here for a while, so I'll answer as many questions as possible if you'd like."

I was shocked. "Even the ones I have about your past?"

"Depending on the question, yes, but again please understand I can't...no! I won't discuss anything that happened to me during the seven years I left my home."

"But why me and not the others?"

"I don't know, maybe I have more trust in you compared to the others. Or maybe I feel more comfortable around you." Then he sighed, "Anyway ask away."

I tried not to anger him again, keenly aware that I was walking on thin ice. "How did you get those scars all over your body?"

"Each scar has a story. I remember how I got each and every one of them, the majority of the ones you saw all over my body for the one that got from training especially with my Father."

"From your Dad?"

"Yes, my Father would train me at least four to five times a week for hours, sometimes hand to hand combat and other times with weapons."

"That sounds fun."

"Maybe for some loving families but for me it was torture. My father never held back even when I was just seven years old. I had to learn quickly how to move, fight and defend myself while fighting him." I could already tell he was getting upset about remembering it. "Every scar is a reminder of my failure during our training session, that is what he told me. So the number of scars that you saw was me failing my training. No matter what I did, it was never good enough for him!" Ronde hissed angrily.

"Ronde it's okay, calm down," I said, placing a hand on his shoulder.

He tried to calm himself down by pacing his breathing.

"I'm sorry, you didn't need to see me get that worked up."

"Do you hate your father?" I asked, curious. I would definitely hate mine if he had treated me that way.

"No, I love my father with all of my heart. I just hate him as a person or at least what he had become."

"I think I understand what you mean."

I noticed he put his left hand on his chest. "The claw marks on my chest are from a dragon I tried to help recover from its injuries. One morning she… didn't recognize me and attacked me.

"She?" I asked.

"Yes, a female Sand Wraith, a dragon that almost looks like Toothless. She was... either delirious or tired but she caused these scars. She seemed sorry afterward and tried to help me by cleaning my wounds and taking care of me because I fainted."

"That sounds like some story."

"Yes, the encounter was quite interesting. The last scar on my lower stomach was when I was caught trying to free a group of dragons from the Dragon Hunters four years ago."

I noticed he had his hand on his stomach around the area of the scar he was talking about.

"What happened?" I asked.

"I only managed to set ten dragons free, maybe more, I don't remember, before I was caught and surrounded. Just when I thought that the situation couldn't get any worse, it did because I met their leader. He tried forcing me to join his army but I refused and when I did, he sliced open my stomach. At first, I didn't feel anything because of the adrenaline, after a while I felt something, then pain. The pain got worse and when I finally looked at the wound and I saw my blood and my entrails, but lucky me, they didn't spill out."

I was horrified while trying to imagine that, if this was true, how was he still alive? And who was this man he was talking about?

"Somehow I managed to escape but it was an open ocean and I was losing my strength fast. I had no choice but to go towards the water. I floated across the open ocean barely conscious and bleeding, with the little strength that I had I tried to close my wound by cauterizing it. But lucky me, I only made a seal because the dried blood stopped the majority of the bleeding, but I passed out."

He had made a seal by using his dried blood? Was that even possible? Where had he even gotten the fire from if he was in the open ocean? But by his tone, I could tell he was telling the truth.

"But, by some miracle, I was rescued and treated for my wounds and I lived with my rescuers for a few months until I made a full recovery after that I left and went my own way."

"Who was their leader who gave you that scar?"

He was shaking either by fear or anger but he spoke. "Drago Bludvist." I was shocked.

"You met him?"

"Yes. Hopefully I will never see him again. I never thought that I'd be more scared of a person than a monster. But then again, that man is a monster."

"You have quite the story, but I'm confused. Why didn't you tell us earlier? I don't see the need for secrecy —if anything, what you've told me about your past makes me see what a kind and caring person you are."

He was silent for a moment. His expression was distraught when he finally spoke.

"Like I told Fishlegs, when it comes to my past, I hadn't done anything wrong that meant I had to leave my country, and I was afraid that if I told anyone the truth about why I left, I would be judged, ridiculed and cast aside just like my home." What? Why would he be judged if he hadn't done anything?

"Ronde, from what you've told me, you shouldn't be judged for anything."

"Well, I'm a very special case." He brushed my comment aside with a query of his own. "Any more questions?"

I did have a few more, but I thought I should give him a bit more space. He seemed to be getting irritated, even though he said I could ask my questions. I guessed I was getting too personal for his liking.

"No. Well, at least not yet. You seem to be getting frustrated so I'll give you some time, maybe in an hour or two I'll ask you some more questions. Right now. I believe I need to do something at the top of the ship."

He just looked at me with a shocked expression but didn't say anything. I turned around, walking towards the opening hatch.

"I think I know why I'm so open and comfortable around you."

I turned to see him leaning against the wall, smiling bashfully while looking down at the ground.

"Even when I don't realize it, you know when I'm getting frustrated and upset. And you try your best not to push me to answer your questions and give me much-needed space." Then I saw a tear going down his eye and he continued, "You remind me so much of that girl I met on that island. Her passion, the fire in her spirit and her determination, that's what I admired about her. Even when the odds were stacked against her, she never gave up, especially when it came to her dreams of being a warrior. She even tried to kill me, but after that, she made up for it by spending time with me, talking to me and making me feel I was more than what I am. Even though I couldn't talk to her at the time when we met, we had a bond."

Was that why he wanted to talk to only me? I noticed he placed one of his hands on his nose and blushed. Perhaps he was kissed by her on his nose? He finally looked at me and said, "I recognize passion when I see it and you got plenty of it. Hiccup is lucky to have someone like you in his life." He glanced at the dragons around the hallway. "That being said, when this is all over and we manage to save Hiccup, I'll tell you everything."

"Everything about what?" Ronde smiled nervously and said, "Everything about my past, why I ran away and the seven years I was away from my home."

"Why would you tell me?"

"Because I trust you and only you to keep the secret about me." I was happy that he said that.

"I don't know what to say," I said quietly.

"You can say I'll try my best to keep everyone in line."

"I'll try but there's no guarantee," I replied with a chuckle.

He laughed and said, "Well at least you're honest."

"Is that your favorite phase?"

"Yes, there are people that live to lie so if I meet someone honest, I'll say that phase," he said while laughing.

Then I thought of something.

"Ronde one last question before I go." He gave me his attention. "What was the girl's name?" I was just curious. He became silent and had a look, contemplating whether or not he should tell me. I sighed. "It's ok if you don't want to tell me." I walked towards the hatch.

"Kindle." I turn around, facing him. He was smiling at me. "Her name was Kindle." I smile back.

"What a nice name." I said, turning to leave. "Well then, I'll see you in a few hours."

"See you then."


	18. Between Chapters

**-part of the story this but an update. read below after the story if you want to see it.**

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Ronde(POV)

As we sail, I'm getting more and more anxious about this rescue. I know that this plan is going to work but...what if it goes south and the others might know my secret. I only wanted to tell Astrid this, I trust her completely, but I know she going to freak out when I show her.

But if something goes wrong, I have to protect them, this is all my fault and I had plenty of opportunities to stop this from happening, but I didn't do anything. So, if they do reject me then it's my fault for dragging them this far.

I just hope that we succeed without anything going sideways.

I look over towards Astrid, she was near Stormfly just rubbing her neck and giving her something that looks like grass. I just hope that not dragon nip, I pray that not dragon nip for their sake. "Astrid I'm going on top of the ship just for some fresh air I'll be back in a few."

"Alright, just don't take too long," she responded.

I went to the stairs instead of using a latch I wasn't in any rush to jump to the top. I went towards the front of the ship and lean forward on the edge staring at the fading sunlight of the horizon. It's almost complete nighttime but the sun illuminance was still over the horizon adding its beauty to this scene. It's been a while since I've seen something like this, usually, I'm to busy to notice this but, it just adds a calm atmosphere around me.

"I need to go flying again, but I grounded myself just for being near these guys. I just hope at the end of all this, it's worth it."

Fishlegs is telling Snotlout where to go.

Snotlout is trying his best to not blow up on Fishlegs for giving him orders. Figures.

The twins are asleep on each side of the ship. It's a really good thing that I didn't need them for anything. But their dragon can create a Smokescreen of gas, which can be helpful.

Astrid is taking care of the dragons down below.

And me, thinking of ways to make sure that the others don't know my secret if this plan goes sideways.

"Let's just hope."

* * *

**\- Alright, it has been a month since I updated the story. I have some good news and bad regarding the story but before I tell you, let me say this. (NO,** **I'M**** NOT discontinuing this story I put too much thought that's how the story is going to play out so it will continue.)**

**We're going to end this with a positive but let's start with the bad news first.**

**School is back around so I have to prioritize school over this story so updates are going to be a little slower. You probably won't see an update to this story every 2 to 3 weeks anymore, It might be a month or more.**

**Now for the good news. You're probably thinking why haven't you been uploading then? its still summer! Well you're right it is still summer but I go back to school next week whenever this was uploaded so I've been preparing myself.**

**But.**

**The reason I haven't been uploading is because I didn't have my laptop for the past few weeks so I couldn't upload.**

**However.**

**The weeks that I haven't had my laptop I have still been working on a story and believe me or not which I'm surprised myself I managed to complete 2 more chapters and the 3rd is almost complete. I've been working on these chapters on my phone and just sending them to myself whenever they are finished.**

**But here's the thing, I don't want to upload them just yet. These chapters completely changed the story and they need the most attention and care. So sometime next week or when I'm free, I hope to get a Beta Reader. So please be patient with me. I believe I'm a good storyteller but I need to be better at writing, I need to learn how to rephrase certain sentences without having them sound like I'm repeating myself which I do a lot.**

**So sometimes within a month(meaning between now and 30 days), the next chapter should be out.**

**Chapter 16, need work.**

**Chapter 17, was my favorite chapter to write out of this entire story so far but it might need work.**

**Chapter 18, this is a quick chapter but needs work. Almost complete.**

**Chapter 19, the summary is complete but a lot of talking and Exposition that is somewhat unnecessary for the story. So for this chapter, I would skip the middle but not the beginning and end if you want. I might change this to make it a little bit more interesting but we haven't crossed that road yet.**

**Chapter 20, summary complete and this might be the longest chapter by far but you will feel the emotions from this chapter.**

**It is currently 8/24/19 when I'm writing this some like to say thank you for those who are reading, reviewing and giving me feedback I do appreciate it.**

**P.s**

**I lie about the next chapter not being as long as the previous it's either **longer** or just as long as the previous chapter.**

**Take care.**


	19. Chapter 16 A Surprising Revelation

_**Special Thanks to my Beta Reader TheLoversTheDreamersAndMe for fixing the grammar in this chapter.**_

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Astrid(POV)

For what I could tell it's been 7 or 8 hours since we left Berk. Ronde and I switched places watching our dragons. Some of them already fell asleep but Hookfang was having a hard time relaxing in his room, so I offered him the last bit of dragon nip in my pocket. He fell asleep a few minutes later. But Toothless…, I still believe he's sad about Hiccup being kidnapped. He won't even look at me when I call him.

I decided it was probably best for me to leave him alone for now. So I climbed to the top deck of the ship, thanks to the latch.

I heard a voice on the side of me, "You know there are stairs you can take at the end of the hallway and they lead-up to here."

I turned around to see Ronde at the front of the ship, looking up towards the night sky. He wasn't even looking at me when he asked:

"How are the dragons? Are they calm and adjusted to their rooms?"

I walked towards the front of the ship beside him and said, "Toothless is still a little sad but the rest are asleep, I had to give some dragon nip to Hookfang."

Then I noticed he stepped away from me, "You had dragon nip and didn't tell me!?"

I was surprised he yelled at me.

"I didn't know I was supposed to tell you that I had any."

"I'm sorry it's just...do you have any more?" He asked.

"No, I gave the last of it to Hookfang."

He sighed in relief, "Good, I can't be near that stuff."

"Why?" I didn't respond for a while.

"Like some dragons, there are people that can be affected by dragon nip. I'm one of those people. When I'm around it I lose all sense of right and wrong and just do stupid things."

"So like if you were drunk," I stated.

"No, much worse. I'll say and do things that I wouldn't do. I could be dangerous and hurt people around me. I barely remember the events after the effect wears off. So that why I'm a little cautious."

"I see, well, it's all gone."

He didn't say anything, he just continued staring at the night both just stare at the night sky, so I asked him, "It's beautiful isn't it?"

"Yeah it is. I forgot how beautiful the night sky is around this time of the night. With the stars adding their illuminations in the darkness, I miss being up there, beyond the clouds."

I looked towards him confused, "What do you mean?"

His eyes widened from realization as if he wasn't supposed to say that, "Oh, sorry, I was just rambling." He got up and walked towards the middle of the ship. "I believe we will get to their island within 3 hours, so if you want I can continue answering some of your questions on the second floor."

I followed him towards the set of stairs that he was talking about. We were on the second floor and he led me towards the hallway.

"Well, what would you like to know about me?" he asked.

I had plenty but let's start with something easy, "What was your home like?"

He paused for a moment then answered with a smile on his face.

"My home was beautiful, nice and warm with plenty of wildlife. I was in the mainland in my country with 3 other tribes to balance our system, when it came to food, housing, and clothing. Each tribe is responsible for one of those 3 things. The fourth tribe which is mine, we are responsible for balancing the other 3 tribes and possibly trading with those outside of our community among other things.

"Oh I see, it seems to be a balanced system but what happened to those who don't want to be in tribes and do whatever the tribe was assigned to do?"

"Well, depending on their skills, they can be transferred to the tribes that suit their needs. But if they don't meet the requirements or standards of the tribe that they want to go in, they're stuck in the tribe that they were born into."

"That sucks."

"Yes, I know, the only chance of getting out of your tribe was to be highly-skilled or independent and find ways to fend for yourself within one of the four tribes."

I gave him a confused look, "What do you mean?"

"Meaning that if you don't want to do any of the jobs of the 4 tribes, you have to do independent work such as adventuring unknown territories and reporting back, being an author to some type of book that is entertaining or educational for each tribe, or creating something that may be useful, like weapons, or tools that make life easier. And if one of the four tribes sees something that they take interest in, they will hire you or pay you for your discoveries."

"I see you have one interesting environment, it sounds nice but harsh," I remarked.

"It is, but only those who are really determined will succeed. But my tribe wasn't that bad for what I witnessed. Everyone was friendly towards one another and we helped each other out. It was complicated when we integrated dragons into our tribes."

"Wait, you had dragons, just like Berk?"

"Yes and no, from what I can tell each, one of your villagers has a bond with their dragon. But in my country, there are no bonds. We were just together to survive longer. We use dragons for transportation, sending messages, and sometimes help with fighting other tribes outside our own."

"So your people use them as weapons," I said, slightly put off by his explanation.

"Yes, I will not deny that." He looks away from me. "Once my f-...my King found out that they could be tamed, he spent most of his time trying to find out how to make them listen to his commands. He noticed that they only respond to his commands by fear or trust, so depending on the behavior of the dragon he would be one of those factors to make the dragons listen to him."

"That sounds horrible." I wrinkled my nose in disgust.

"Things might have changed while I was gone. Who knows? It might be better than Berk but I just don't know." He was nervous and began scratching the back of his head. "Any more questions?"

"It's a little personal, so you don't have to tell me, but what was your family like?"

"My family...my family…was, in a word, 'broken but together." My father, if he wasn't training me or my sisters, he would spend most of his time finding ways to bring our people closer to peace and prosperity. My mother would sometimes aid him in his conquesst or worked with us or her mother with healing medicine or potions."

"Potions?" I asked.

"Yeah, it's weird, I don't even fully comprehend it but sometimes my grandmother would make elixirs that can heal sickness and injuries. She's basically what Gothi is in your village, only in mine."

"So now what?"

"What do you mean? Do you not have any more questions?" He asked.

"I mean I do but you told me not to ask you about the reason why you ran away. So I don't know what to say."

He sighed then looked towards the ground then back at me.

"I will not tell you the reason why I ran away, however, I'll answer one question after that situation. But after that, I think we're done with questions until this rescue is over. I'll try to answer it the best way that I can."

"Alright, let me think," He's allowing me this opportunity to ask him about his past, but this is my last question so I have to make it count. What was bothering me he ran away at such a young age it keeps telling us they didn't do anything wrong but I can't ask him that, however, I think I can ask him this:

"If you ran away at 10 years old, how did you survive all this time by yourself?"

He just stared at me with a blank expression, I couldn't tell what he was thinking, was he mad, sad or furious with me, but then he finally said, "I...I...do-don't...I...can't...no, not yet...not now."

He was stuttering.

"What?"

"I can't...should I tell you?...maybe?...yes, no? You are going to find out eventually so there's no point in lying is there?", he sighs and then he faces expression turns into pity, "3 days..."

I was confused, "3 days of what?"

"Once I ran away from home I stole a ship to escape, heading towards an island where I could be by myself until I knew what to do next. I sailed for 3 days without food and there was barely enough fresh water, there was food but I just couldn't eat it even if I wanted to, I would just throw up which made me feel even hungrier. While sailing, I discovered that the ship had books. I would read them to pass time while waiting to get to my destination. However, I found a book about dragons and the majority of the pages in the book were blank and had enough spaces within them to draw and add my own information. That book that I found in the book, I use to this day."

"Wait so the book that has your diary is the book that you're talking about?"

"Yes. Not all of the information is mine, when I discovered something new about any particular species of dragons I would put it in the book or try my best to draw it. I kept that book because it has a seal to protect the pages inside and it's made out of special material that doesn't allow it to get easily damaged even if it's wet or on fire. Whoever made that book was also interested in dragons as well but I don't know who the author is."

"Well, it's a good thing you kept the book, the information that is within it is helping us now, especially discovering more about the Chimera Dragon. That dragon saved my life you know, and helped us push back the Bog Burglars."

"So you're not afraid of that dragon?"

"No, why would I be? It did scare me when it was going on a rampage against the Bog Burglars, but I saw it crying afterward. There's more to that dragon than we know and I want to meet it, just so I can thank it.

Ronde didn't say anything for a couple of moments, he was in deep thought. "Oh sorry Ronde, please continue your story," I said.

"Right, um where was I...oh, once I made it to the island, I tried to find food but I became tired and rested next to a tree. When I woke up I was surrounded by D-...no the locals of the island. I thought that they were going to attack me but they spoke to me, trying to calm me down because during that time I was having a panic attack. But after I calmed down I was surprised that I could understand them at all."

"Why would you think that you couldn't understand them?"

He paused for just a moment, and at that moment I could tell that he was tense. "I can't say Astrid, not yet."

I didn't want to push him, so I decided not to say anything and let him continue his story.

"The locals then asked me a few questions, such as where I was from, what was I doing there and where were my parents. I tried to answer them the best way I could, as I was trying to explain to them my situation. They didn't believe me or at least some parts of my story. It was frustrating at the time and I tried to prove that I was telling the truth, but they didn't believe me, so I showed them as much evidence as I could, such as the ship that I stole. They believed more parts of my story but they couldn't fathom others. One of the locals must have noticed that she hadn't eaten in a while so she gave me some of her food and a weird interaction happened that I don't remember.

_'What does he mean by weird?'_

"She knew that the food she gave me wasn't enough so she invited me to her home with her... partner?…no - husband, and gave me some food...but..."

"But what?"

He looked at me with a worried expression, "Do you remember the day of my trial?"

"Yes, how could I forget that day?"

"Remember when I asked you if you could bring me some food but I told you not to put the food in front of me?"

"Yes, I do."

"I told you that I can't eat with other people when I'm extremely hungry, I have impulses that I sometimes cannot control. And that happened to me for the first time, I attacked the husband and to this day, I still don't remember how it happened. I was told the next day by the wife and husband what happened and her children were scared of me. I felt so bad because I injured the father, it wasn't bad, just some scratch marks but I still did it. I thought that they would leave me or kick me off their island, but the mother understood why I did that and invited me to live with her until I was old enough to take care of myself. I don't know why she did that. Maybe she knew I was sorry and I didn't mean to hurt him, or maybe it was because I was young, but she became my adoptive mother and I lived with her for two and a half years. Then I was on my own."

"Those people seem nice. What about the dragons on that island?"

His eyes widen, "T-the dr-dragons?" He looks scared and worried, "There's...I...was...I can't."

"What do you mean?"

"I can't tell you yet...I'm sorry."

I didn't want to upset him so I got up and walked away. He might have taken the message the wrong way because I heard him say my name.

"Astrid...I'm...just...scared."

"Why are you scared? Because of me? The rescue? What is it?"

"The truth." He said it so quietly that I barely heard him. "I told you before I'm scared because if I tell the truth why I ran away I would be rejected and cast away." He looks away from me and clenched fist. "I can't lie to you, that's why I'm stuttering."

"Then why are you trying to lie to me?"

"I only lie when the truth is so unbelievable that a lie is more believable than that of the truth, that why."

'When he said that it reminded me of the time when I asked him how he didn't get injured from Toothless's plasma blast, so maybe he was lying.'

"Maybe when this is all over you'll understand why I act the way I do."

"You don't have to, but why not just tell me now to get it over with?" I said

"Because I can't just tell you. I have to show you."

"Wait, what? What do you mean by that?"

"Trust me when I say you're going to find out soon, especially if this mission goes south. Any way, you can go, I think I need some time to myself."

I didn't know what to say. I just watched him walk towards Toothless's space. He looked very upset and didn't even look at me. I decided to leave him alone for the time being.

Hiccup's(POV)

Well, isn't this just great, locked in a cell with a guard watching my every move. Worst of all, I can't think of a way to escape this island. Maybe the cell but the island, I don't think I can.

'_Maybe I should have asked Ronde how to steal a boat._'

…Oh, Ronde…there's a good chance that he's...I mean my father couldn't survive a plasma blast, and from what I saw, Toothless shot him and he had fallen over, seemingly lifeless. But maybe, just maybe, he survived and is planning to rescue me, but I need to plan something just in case if they're not coming. I just hope Ronde is alive and well.

Suddenly the front door opens with two shadowy figures. One of them came to light and I recognized them as the leader that took me here and threatened to kill Astrid. The other one was someone I didn't recognize at all but it was female wearing some type of armor.

"See, Camicazi? Just like I said, we caught him," said the leader. "He is not getting out any time soon."

The female walked closer to me, eyeing me, almost studying me, with her hands on her chin. "This is the Dragon Master? The chief of Berk and the son of Stoick the Vast?" Questioned Camicazi. "I was expecting something a little more... What's the word I'm looking for? Big? No... manly? Maybe. Oh I got it, _strength and confidence, _not skinny as a toothpick."

"Hi, my name is Hiccup and I'm the guy who's not judging you based on your appearance," I said sarcastically.

She scoffs and turns towards the leader. "This is the guy who's been giving the dragon hunters a hard time?"

"He is the leader of an island full of people that know how to tame the dragons. So it's not just him that's been giving them a hard time, the boy that looks like Krogan thas been giving them a hard time as well, but there's a good chance he's dead." He began to laugh. "Saw it with my own eyes. That boy pushed a little girl out of the way of a dragon's fire blast and he got hit instead of the fool."

I was about to yell but then the woman slapped him hard to the ground. "First of all, if he did die, he died while fighting and to protect others! Something that you and your men lack!" Then she unscathed her sword and pointed it toward him. "Second, did you bring his body or clothing to prove that we had an encounter with him for the Dragon Hunters?"

He was holding the area in which she slapped him. I noticed that was blood coming out of his hand, she must have reopened the wound that Stormfly had given him. "N-no ma'am, we were only focused I'm bringing him back. His bounty was much higher than anyone else's so he was our main priority."

"YOU IDIOT!" She screamed, "It doesn't matter who's bounty was higher or lower if there were multiple targets on that island! Why didn't you capture them as well!?"

"Because his bounty was enough to sustain us all and to get us off this rock we call an island!"

She lifts her sword, preparing to strike the man down. "It's like you want me to kill you! The more money that we have, the more chances we have to get the Dragon Hunters off our back and find a way to move off this island so the Warlords can't find us, you have diminished our chances of doing that!"

"Yes, milady you right, but I know for a fact that if we would have brought more of them they would have had a better chance to escape us I was just thinking ahead you know?"

Once she heard his plea she put her sword back in its shaft and walked away from him. "Fine! Go! Get out of here before I change my mind and another thing, not a word goes to Bertha about this raid, if she would have found out she would punish this entire tribe. Got it?"

He quickly got on his feet and bowed. "Yes, my Commander." He quickly walked towards the other room within the holding cells.

The woman turns towards the guard. "Leave the premises for a few minutes while I talk to our guest."

He quickly bowed and walked away.

Now it was just me and this woman. She decided to start the conversation. "Well then, 'Dragon Master,' this isn't anything personal but we need your bounty money so we can have a better future. I do apologize for everything that they did. However, be happy because with your sacrifice, you will bring peace within this island."

"Okay, then what? Even if you get your money for my bounty, what then? If the warlords discover what I know and that you betrayed them, you're going to be in a position far worse than what you already are."

She smiled at me evilly and began laughing. "Smart boy. However, we already prepared for that. We will be safe from their reach where we're going, so you don't need to worry about us. What I would be focusing on is how you're going to escape from them, because once we get the bounty, we have no use for you ,so try to escape from them and live to see another day. Until then, you're staying here."

She begins walking away from my cell."Get comfortable! You're going to be here for a while!" she called as she left. Once she had gone, I tried to hear if anyone was still around. Their leader was somewhere in the back of the building, somewhere far away. The guard that just left hasn't returned yet. I removed my prosthetic leg and changed it from the walking leg to the flying leg. It was the smallest one compared to the other settings, so I could use it to pick the lock. While I was attempting to unlock the door, I heard the leader talking with someone.

"Can you believe we almost failed our mission because of that boy and the purple dragon? Why did it show up there? And it attacked us!?"

"Could you describe the dragon again?" The other person asked.

"It was twice, maybe three times the size of a Deadly Nadder, with purple scales and fur on top of its head. It's almost bulky, and can walk on two legs or four legs."

"Hmmmmm. That almost sounds like the same dragon that the dragon Hunters managed to capture. Well, actually, it came to them and walked inside of their cages on purpose."

"What? It just walks in just like that, no fighting, no clawing, no confrontation whatsoever?"

"Yes, they believe that the dragon just simply gave up and went along with the other dragons that were captured."

I got distracted listening to the conversation they were talking about the Chimera Dragon. I was still trying to pick the lock carefully but I was listening to him as well.

"Well, it can't happen to be the same dragon. The Behavior was different and, based on the reaction of the people of Berk, they had no idea what it was even doing there, so they couldn't have trained it."

"Maybe it was the boy? After all, he appeared on that ship to save the dragons and stop the dragon Hunters on that ship. I also heard he caught an arrow with his bare hands and stole their ship. I find that hilarious that even the Dragon Hunters can't stop one boy."

_'Wait a minute, Ronde and the Chimera Dragon were on the same ship? That means Ronde has a deeper connection than just finding it. Maybe he was lying about wanting to find it, he could be that dragons Rider. But why hide it from us? He could have shown us that he was a dragon Rider when we first met that could have avoided the situation with him and Astrid, he's smarter than that so why didn't he do that?'_

The leader then huffed his breath, "That boy is a monster! He stopped my Elite Squad from taking the chief. Some of them came back with bruises and injuries. They also told me that he captured two of my men that are still on the island, plus the ones that they managed to capture during that dragon's attack. This day does bring a heavy toll, but their sacrifices will not be in vain."

I was still picking the lock with my prosthetic leg. I can almost hear the gear shifting. I need to focus on escaping right now after that then I think about the situation with Ronde and the Chimera Dragon. The door clanged and swung open.

_'I unlocked it! Good, now I just need an opportunity to escape without them noticing for a while.'_

Suddenly I heard footsteps coming from the back room, I quickly closed the door and went back into the corner of the cell and put my prosthetic foot back on.

The leader opens the door and looks around. "Good. She's gone. Now we can talk about her. I don't know why but when she hit me, I felt something towards her."

_'Oh no, I don't need to hear this!'_

"You sure it's not blood loss? Your face is still bleeding, she might have reopened your wounds after we stitched you," said the other person.

"I know, but look at her, she's a young, beautiful, independent and very strong woman and I think I'm in love with her," he said while closing the door.

"Yep, blood loss. You need to rest."

_'Maybe I should leave right now.'_

Fishlegs (POV)

"I believe that's it over there, Snotlout." I pointed out towards an island that was surrounded by mist. It was barely visible, but I believe that was the Bog Burglars' island.

"Are you sure, Fishface?" Snotlout asked with a little concern in his voice.

"Yes, head towards that island around the bay and I'll inform Astrid and the others."

He only nodded and I walked down towards the latch and opened it. "Astrid, Ronde I believe we're here."

It was quiet for a moment. Is it possible they weren't down here? But then I heard Ronde's voice, "Astrid stays down here with the dragons, for now. I'll be back."

I opened the latch so he could have an easier time getting up here. Without climbing, he jumps up without even holding the Edge for extra momentum. He just leapt up here like it was nothing. But isn't that at least a 10-foot jump?

He looked over towards the island and almost smiled.

"So then, we begin phase two of my plan, once we reach that island." He started walking towards the ships's stern, where Snotlout stood. I followed him. "Once we're inside the mist, I need everyone to go in the captain's quarters or office. I'll be with the dragons until Snotlout comes back with some information about the whereabouts of Hiccup." Then he looks towards me. "Fishlegs, if I want, I can handle it from here, guiding him towards the island. I'll tell the others to meet you in the captain's quarters, there are other rooms beside them."

"Alright, I'll wait in there until you need me," I told him. I walked inside the captain's quarters he had pointed out. It was furnished with a simple table, two chairs and a few empty bookshelves. I sat down at the table and got out Ronde's book, opening it towards the pages with information about Nightmares. Apparently, the people from his country use Nightmare and Deadly Nadder saliva for getting the rust off metal. Who knew?

As I was reading, the boat hit a particularly strong wave. Ronde's book slid off the table and landed on the ground. Pages scattered over the floor.

"Oh no, please tell me that these aren't ripped pages!" I bent down to collect the fallen papers. "Calm down, Fishlegs, maybe he won't notice if I put them back neatly," I calmed myself as I tried to place all the pages back into the book. I looked around through to see if there were any other pages that I missed. I had passed over one folded up piece of paper. I bent down and retrieved it, and for a moment I thought it was his map, so I opened it.

"What is this?" I muttered to myself. It looked like a hand-drawn picture of a baby dragon that looks somewhat familiar. He had drawings of the dragon with its mouth open and its teeth showing. It was very detailed. The sketch showed it had many sharp front teeth, but its back teeth were flat. This dragon scaled with a baby Deadly Nadder and Monstrous Nightmare. The dragon seemed to be two-thirds, almost twice the size of each.

There was a note on the side of the paper that read:

**"Life sometimes finds a way, but will it find a way for me to live? My life is forever changed, through better or worse. I wonder, however, the older I get, will I lose myself? Will I still be me? Or will l my instincts take over? Only time will tell. I hope I will find a way to keep myself from harming others. I hope my adoptive parents, Sire and Dam, will help and take care of me until I'm ready. I hope I'm still me when I'm older. But I must remember my own name! The one thing I cannot forget is my name! My name is power! My name is Ronde Strykyster Koning. Don't forget it, for your sake."**

**P.s.**

**"I wonder what I should call this. To learn multiple fire techniques and other abilities from other dragons. I've never seen this type of dragon before, but certain body parts look like other species of dragons, so I'll call it The Chimera Dragon."**

Wait a minute, the baby dragon is the Chimera Dragon? I look closer towards the picture. You would have thought that the mane would have told me what it was, but the body portion was slightly off compared to what it is now. If this is the Chimera Dragon as a baby, that means Ronde might have raised this dragon. He is that dragon rider. I bet that means he taught it to understand us. This doesn't make any sense! Why would he hide that dragon from us? Why didn't he show us that dragon for its protection? It was living in the woods all this time! Unless he was taking care of it when no one was watching. That would explain why the dragon isn't afraid of humans. It's even possible that he set up that trap when we were looking for the Chimera dragon. Did he command the Dragon to trap us? Is that why he ran ahead? To have a better start to set everything up?

I need to tell someone when Ronde is gone, maybe Astrid. This is all too much to process, but I now know why he was acting strangely. But what does all this have to do with his past? And there he goes again talking about instinct, but why? Is he talking about impulses that he can't seem to stop? I know a few people like that.

_Ronde Strykyster Koning. So that's your full name?_ I feel like there is meaning in that name. _Strykyster, Koning._..that sounds like something from a different language.

Snotlout(POV)

"Do I really have to wear this?" I asked the outcast.

"Yes, unless you want to go in naked?"

"It's too tight! And it itches!" I yelled. The outcast didn't say anything for a while. I think I heard him whisper:

"It is quite possible that these guys have bed bugs..."

"What are those?" I asked quickly. He looks at me with his untrustworthy eyes.

"Something you can sleep off of...maybe, depending on how many bites you get. But you should be fine, if it was what I just said, you'll be itching. Now go straight ahead. There should be a small village or town. Please remember to gather as much information about Hiccup's whereabouts, nothing else." The outcast signals me away. It turns out that the docks were full so we had no other choice but to go towards the beach next to the docks and settle the boat there. He also told me to knock on the front of the ship when I came back. Apparently, there's some sort of latch that opens and closes, which makes sense. How else will they get the dragons out of the ships in cages?

I climbed down off the ship towards the beach. When I touched down, I heard the outcast's voice again.

"Snotlout, by the way-"

I gave him my attention.

"Be careful what you say to them. This island population is a majority of women, but sometimes it's hard to tell who's a man and who's a woman. I have seen a big lady with a mustache and a beard, so please be careful what you say to them."

I only scoffed. "Whatever." I then proceeded the path. I don't trust this outsider. I don't believe his story about running away. I know he did something to get himself banished, but no one leaves their home just because of the way they are. That doesn't make any sense. Unless he's psychotic, insane, or a murderer. Even if he saves us from those Bogs or whatever you call them, he's hiding something from us and I will expose him as the liar that he is. But for now, I need to focus on the mission, no matter how stupid it is.

I continued towards this path and I found a small town with people celebrating with ale in hand, cheering their hearts out. Suddenly I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned to look at the man. He looked half drunk.

"Today is a day of Celebration! Come have a drink with us, young buck!" He shouted heartily, holding his mug of beer high.

"Wait for what? hold on...let go of me!" I struggled to push his hand off my shoulder.

"What's wrong? Don't you want a drink? You look old enough, so come on!" He drags me to a building that looks like a half-built house with people inside drinking and celebrating.

The man and I sit down at one of the open tables. I tried to be one to say something before he dragged me somewhere else. "So, uh, why are we celebrating?"

He looks confused for a moment.  
"why are we…? Are you slow, boy? We just had a successful mission completed! We captured a chief with a high bounty and now we have enough to leave the dragon Hunters!"

Okay maybe that outcast was right when he said that they will give out information. Let's see if...,

"Oh that great, you see I was there to help, but no one told me why we were there."

He looked at me with a bewildered look on his face then began to laugh.

"Oh that's funny boy, you're too young for those types of missions! You have one funny imagination! I can already tell that you're one of the types that talk a big game yet you come up short! Haaaaahaaa!"

I wanted to punch him in the face for saying that, but I need to find Hiccup. Then maybe his mom will notice me, so I can't screw this up.

"Fine, fine you caught me but where is this chief anyway? Is he here in the village?"

"No, he's in the center of the island in a cell within a highly secure area." Then he pointed towards a large hill, "Just over there."

That easy, huh? Maybe it's because he's drunk,.

"I see. Well I got things to do."

"Hey boy!" I turned around to face him. "Don't go telling people that we captured the chief from another Village! Bertha will not be happy about this. But she's off the island, going to a huge meeting in a few days."

Who is this Bertha? Is that the name of their leader?

"Who am I going to tell? Everyone thinks I'm crazy anyway."

"Why is that?" I sat down in front of him, "Let me tell you a story, now this story I am going to make up a few parts so you won't know who it is but there is this boy that I know who is an outsider..."

Ronde(POV)

Time had passed. Snotlout should be back soon, but meanwhile, I let my thoughts drift.

I…I…I don't know if I can do this mission without exposing myself to others. No matter how many times I think of a way to save Hiccup, it always ends with the others knowing my secret. I trust Astrid with this; I believe she can keep a secret. Hiccup is a close second but I don't know. He puts too much trust in me and if I show him, this trust might be broken. Fishlegs...no he seems to be a blabbermouth.

But can I work up the courage to face them? I don't know. Other than Kindle, I haven't talked to another human being in a long time. But that wasn't talking; it was just charades and guessing games to understand what I was trying to say.

"I just can't win."

A knock on the door jolted me out of my train of thought.

_'He's here already?' _

I walk towards the lever to open the front of the ship's latches.

Snotlout was standing on the beach, waiting for the latch to come down to the ground.

"I believe I know where he is." Snotlout said proudly, walking inside the boat.

"Good! Let's inform the others! After that, I'll leave." I turned around to walk upstairs towards the deck when I heard something I thought I'll never hear.

"Ronde wait a second."

Wait...did I hear that right? Did Snotlout just call me by my name!? I have never turned around so fast in my life. I gave him the most confused look I can muster.

"I had a short conversation with a drunk warrior, he told me that maybe I shouldn't be very harsh towards you. I don't know what you've been through but I want to say I… am….s..orr..y."

I raised an eyebrow and tried my best not to laugh. He was faking this but him trying to say sorry, oh boy that almost made my day.

"Wow, that must have hurt."

"More than you know."

Is he trying to get on my good side so he can expose me to the others? Someone must have given him some advice. Well, might as well play along.

"Well I somewhat forgive you. Now let's go."

We walk up to the deck of the boat and headed towards the captain's quarters. Opening the door, I see Fishlegs and Astrid talking while holding a piece of paper in their hands.

"What is going on?" I ask and for some odd reason, they looked scared. Astrid quickly puts the paper away and says nervously:

"We'll talk about it later."

Okay, this is weird but no point trying to figure this out right now.

"Right... Anyway, Snotlout is back so let's hear what he has to say."

We all gathered together around the table, "Alright Snotlout, tell us everything you know."

He quickly relayed the information to us. Astrid was the first to say something.

"Okay then. So what do we do now, Ronde?"

If this was stealth, I can possibly handle it by myself.

II'll go by myself, no point in bringing anyone else just to slow Hiccup and I down. If I'm lucky, I'll be able to find a dragon to make this job easier."

Fishlegs was the next.

"Are you sure? We could just fly our dragons high above the island."

"No, the only dragon I would allow to do that with is Toothless but he can't fly by himself. Do any of you know how to use his tail fin?"

"Yes, some of us do but we just have to adjust it," Fishlegs said. Of course they would, but I need to do this by myself. I don't need any distractions. "My answer is still no. I need to do this alone."

"Find but what about Hiccup? How are you going to rescue him and bring him here? Isn't he going to slow you down if you're going to face the guards and other security?"

I was beginning to get irritated but I tried to calm myself down.

"Trust me when I say this: Even if I don't return..._Hiccup will._"

Everyone looked shocked.

"What is that supposed to mean?" They asked in unison. I didn't answer. I couldn't answer. They will find out but maybe if I say this correctly maybe they won't have to. So after an awkward moment of silence, I spoke.

"Please understand that the main priority is rescuing Hiccup. If I don't come back with Hiccup, please leave. I will find a way back to Berk." I open the door and walk towards the ship's bow.

"Ronde wait."

I stopped where I was but I didn't turn around. I knew who was speaking to me.

"Astrid."

"What are you talking about that if you rescue Hiccup but if you don't come back to leave you? Ronde, we're all coming back."

"Astrid, promise me that you will leave and not look for me."

"What!?" she screamed angrily, not understanding what I needed her to understand.

"Promise me! Promise that you will not come look for me if I go missing!"

There was a moment of silence. The only sounds I could hear were my own breath, the wind blowing and the sounds of the ocean.

"No."

'What!?' I turned around, facing her. She had a determined look on her face.

"We're all coming back, even you Ronde."

I was mad, but then as soon as my emotions flared they disappeared and I began laughing softly. "You Vikings are Stubborn as hell, you know that right?"

"Yeah I know. It's in the genes," she responded.

I just stared at her for a moment. Why does she remind me of Kindle so much? I feel like I'm already obligated to come back. Why are females so unfair when it comes to a guy's emotions?

"I just can't win today, can I?" I said out loud. I ran and jumped off the boat, landing on the soft sand, running towards the forest.

Astrid(POV)

Did he just jump off the ship?

"He is quite resilient isn't he?"

He has been acting funny ever since this mission started, but he is somewhat upset about Hiccup.

I went back towards the other room where Fishlegs was waiting for Ronde to leave

"So, Astrid, what do you think about what I told you?"

"Well, if what you say is true there might be a reason for it," I responded.

Snotlout was confused.

"What are you guys talking about?" He asked.

"There might be proof that Ronde is the Chimera Dragon Rider or at least he has a deep connection with the dragon."

"What the heck is a Chimera dragon?" Asked Snotlout.

"Oh yeah, you weren't there. It's the same dragon that we've been looking for, ever since Ronde came to our island," Fishlegs responded.

"Now that I think about it, it all makes sense that the dragon appears the same day that Ronde shows up. His knowledge about dragons shows he must have spent a lot of time together, especially if he raised that dragon since it was a baby. And when I took off shirt the other day, the dragon scales undershirt that he had on was the same shade of purple that the Chimera dragon has."

"But why do you think he did it?" Fishlegs asks. "He proved that he was smart enough to try to avoid as much conflict as possible so why didn't he just come towards our island with that dragon to prove to us that dragons trust him?"

_That is true he could have brought the dragon to the Foreverwing nest when he kidnapped me. But then again..., _

"It's quite possible that he didn't want to endanger his dragon. I could very well be the last of its kind, so maybe that's why Ronde has been hiding it from us."

_'That's it!' _

"That's why he was mad at you for trying to find that dragon. The day that the other Night Fury came to our village, he was upset because you were trying to find his dragon!" Then I realized even more. "I bet that's why he told everyone that he was going towards the forest during the raid, so he could protect the dragon from the Bog Burglars!"

"That does make sense. But why did the dragon come towards our village and saved you?"

"I don't know," _'Why did that dragon protect me and was concerned about me as well?' Maybe time will tell or Ronde could._

Ronde(POV)

I believe I'm deep enough, there doesn't seem to be anyone here. Just past a town and I somehow passed by two guards without them realizing. It's dark and daylight is probably coming within the next hour or two, so I need to be fast. I see the hill up ahead that is where Hiccup should be. Hopefully, I won't need to change my appearance so I can get close enough.

I continued towards the hill, stopping at the bottom to survey the surrounding area for potential threats. I saw a small village at the bottom of the large hill. The area was small and the houses were made out of stones and hardened clay.

"So this must be it. Yeah stone walls make for an easy prison."

Alright, now I just need to get around the gate, knock out the guards, find the keys to unlock his cell and then-

An extremely loud sound interrupted my train of thought. It sounded like some sort of horn. \ "What was that?" Please tell me that wasn't the alarm! But how none of the guards notice me so why would they...

_'(HICCUP YOU SON OF A...)'_

"Great, now I don't have a choice...he's going to freak out."

Hiccup's(POV)

Okay, so I managed to outmaneuver some of the guards, I got my weapon back and now the whole island is going to be after me. Great. Love it.

"Get that boy!" I hear someone shout behind me.

I need to get to the highest mountain or hill and use my flight suit to glide towards somewhere else other than here.

"I think he went this way!"

"You think or do you know!?"

"I don't know!"

_'Good. Just got to keep running on top of this hill.' _

I continued to run. The sounds of people yelling getting quieter all the while. I am close to the top. I continued to run to the top until I thought my legs would give out, but the pain that I'm experiencing now is nothing compared to what I might experience if I'm still prisoner. The hill was getting less steep and flatter. I believe I'm close to the top.

The next thing I know, I'm running out of the forest, into the open. I can see the ocean. I think I see some sort of docks with ships. Maybe I could use one to escape? I glance at the bank I'm standing on. This must be a cliff of some sort. I was preparing my suit for flight when I heard a voice behind me. I froze. Shivers made their way up and down my spine.

"It's a beautiful view isn't it?"

I turned around to see the female Commander with a devious smile on her face. She looked towards the cliffside, staring at the villages below. After a moment, she said:

"When I was a little girl, I used to believe that if you stand on this Cliffside during the nighttime and saw a shooting star, your wishes could come true. My wish was to find a way for my people to live happy lives. That wish never came true until I saw your bounty. I knew you'd come up here to see if there was a way off this island without wandering around blindly."

And she looks at me and holds her sword pointing towards me. "Now come with me and I can promise that no harm will come to you while you're on this island. But if you refuse, I'll break your legs to make sure you won't have a chance to run again."

I didn't answer, just slowly lowered my body so it looked like I was submitting but naturally I was putting my hands inside the leather harness around my legs to prepare to glide down towards the ships.

"Good. You made the easy choice. Now then let's go and-" She cut herself off. I was wondering why until I heard a noise. A familiar whistling noise.

I looked towards the sky in the direction where the sound was coming from and I saw a blue light coming towards the woman. She quickly moved out of the way of the blast and I took advantage of the situation, jumping off the cliff.

"Toothless!" I yelled, hoping he'd see me.

As I was gliding, I looked behind me to see him ready to grab me midair. But then he hesitated, instead barrel rolling underneath me so I could glide towards his back. I landed on his back.

"Oh bud, I knew you'd come to save me." I was so excited to see him that it took me a moment to realize if something was off.

"Toothless where's your saddle?" Then I looked behind me to see how he was still flying without his gear. What I saw shocked me. His tail fin wasn't the red replacement he normally had. It was perfectly black, almost as if he regrew his tail fin. "Toothless?"

The next thing that happened shocked me. I was met with the eyes of this dragon. Its _brown_ eyes. This wasn't Toothless, this was the same Night fury that had trashed my house! He just stared at me but its eyes were slightly dilated, it wasn't angry or upset.

"So you're not going to kill me this time?"

The brown-eyed Night Fury just made some sort of wobbling noise and continued flying towards the beach. _'Where is it taking me?'_

The dragon landed on the beach, starting in the direction of a ship, but then stopped abruptly.

The dragon shook me off of his back and I landed on the soft sand.

"Hey what was that for?"

The dragon ignored me, walking farther ahead and making a gesture with his head that meant I was to follow it. I got up and followed it. Why is this wild dragon helping me? The first time I saw this dragon, it tried to kill me. Maybe that was some sort of distraction for it to escape, but why is it helping me and where is it taking me?

The dragon stops in front of a ship, lifts its paw, and knocks on the front of it. It then quickly backs away, behind me, almost nervously.

The front of the ship slowly opens and I see a familiar face behind the hatch.

"Hiccup!" Astrid screams while running towards me. She hugs me for about 3 seconds then she punches me in the shoulder. "Never let me worry about you for this long! I thought you..."

"I know and I'm sorry Astrid, where's everyone else?" I asked.

Suddenly a soft roar came from behind. The brown-eyed Night Fury seemed to be calling something. I heard soft but heavy footsteps coming up from the bottom of the ship. I glance behind Astrid, and what I saw delights me.

"Toothless!" I have never seen Toothless's eyes so wide in my life as he quickly lunges towards me and tackles made towards the ground. "Toothless! I missed you so much to, bud, but please stop licking me! You know it doesn't wash out!"

I heard a strange laugh and looked in the direction where the noise was coming from. I saw the brown-eyed Night Fury laughing.

Astrid must have noticed the other dragon at that time.

"Hiccup, is that a Night Fury?" She asked.

"Yes, and I believe it's the same one that trashed my house and broke my door."

The Night Fury looked at me, then at Astrid nervously. After a moment of staring at her, it turns around and prepares to take off.

I was about to stop the dragon, but it froze for a second and stood stock-still, the ear-like frills on its head were extending, as if it was hearing something. Then I looked at Toothless and he was doing the same thing.

"Astrid, I think somethings wrong."

Suddenly the brown-eyed Night Fury runs toward us and shoves us towards the boat.

"Whoa there, calm down." Astrid almost yelled but then the dragon only growled softly at her. I saw something hit the side of the ship's entrance. It was a black tranquilizer dart.

"He's over here!"

"Get him!"

The Bog Burglars somehow manage to find us and they continued firing darts. The brown-eyed Night Fury blasts the sand around them to throw off their aim and stun them for a moment.

Everyone including it, then ran inside the ship. Astrid closed the front latch. The Night Fury roars loudly into one of the open cages, then jumps up towards the upper deck. Barf and Belch come out quickly and follow the Night Fury.

"What are they doing?" I asked Astrid.

"I don't know, let's hurry and see."

Before we had a chance to move the ship was wobbling back and forth as if we hit something. "We need to hurry!"

Astrid took the lead and jumped through the open latch and helped me up there as well. What we came up to see shocked both me and Astrid. The brown-eyed Night Fury was on the middle of the ship, using its teeth to pull a rope to adjust the rig of the ship. Barf and Bech were lying low but shooting out as much gas as possible. The whole beach was covered in green Zippleback gas. The Night Fury let go of the ropes and roared to get their attention. They both look at the dragon and stop spewing gas.

I noticed how the ship was already sailing in the open ocean by 20 or 30 feet away from the island. Suddenly the Night Fury walks up towards the front of the boat, right next to Barf and Belch and tips its head towards them as if it was thanking them. The beach was thick with Zippleback gas. I couldn't even see the people or the sand but suddenly the Night fury shot a small Plasma Blast towards the gas.

"Oh no Astrid! Cover your ears!" The explosion shook my teeth and rattled my brain. I could feel the vibrations in the wooden floorboards of the ship.

When I uncovered my ears, I saw the destruction. The trees, and boats on the docks were on fire and the remaining men were helping each other get away from the fire. 'That beach, however, is definitely destroyed.'

With nothing else to do, the twins' Zippleback walks back towards the latch and back into their cage. However, the Night Fury just stood there on the edge of the boat staring at the island. It didn't move or try to fly away, it just stood there.

"That dragon just helped us move the ship and escape, but why doesn't it move?" Astrid asked.

"I don't know but let try to gain its trust so it won't fly away," I said. Before we had a chance to move I heard a door slam open.

"What's going on out here!? I'm trying to sleep!"

"Snotlout."

Fishlegs was right behind him. "Hiccup you're back!" He then notices the other Night Fury. "Hiccup, what wrong with Toothless?"

"That's not Toothless, Fishlegs. It's the other Night Fury that we were looking for, somehow it came to this island." I looked over towards Astrid and asked: "Astrid, how many people are here?"

"Everyone in our group except Gobber, Eret and your mother."

"What about Ronde...is he…?"

"No, he's still alive. He wasn't even injured so you don't need to panic. In fact, he planned this entire rescue."

I was shocked and relieved yet had I imagined that he got hit by Toothless's plasma blast? Those dragon scales might have done the trick. "Okay, that great where is he?"

"He's...," Astrid's eyes widen in horror. "He's still on the island looking for you."

"What!?"

Astrid(POV)

I couldn't believe I'd forgotten about him! He's still on the island and they know that we were there. If they find him, they'll torture him, or worse. I need to go back and find him.

"Stormfly!"I called to my dragon, and out she came through the latch. I rub the side of her neck. "Come on, girl, let's go find Ronde."

Hiccup tried to stop me.

"Astrid, what are you doing?"

I quickly mounted Stormfly, and told him. "I'm going back to save Ronde." I quickly took off and guided Stormfly back towards the island. We could make it there in 2 minutes if we were quick enough. But then suddenly I heard something behind me, before I had a chance to see what it was, something grabbed both my arms and lifted me off Stormfly. I looked up to see Toothless' black scales.

"Hiccup, put me down! I need to go find him!"

Instead of hearing Hiccup's voice I was met with a series of grunts and growls. I looked up and saw the other Night Fury looking at me with sorrowful brown eyes. The dragon then roars something to Stormfly, who chirps right back at the dragon. The dragon then slowly descended back towards the ship. Something was wrong! We were descending too fast! Even the Night Fury made a confused growl and quickly wrapped its wings around me. We crashed into the ship with a loud thud.

"Astrid!" I heard Hiccup yell. The dragon freed me from its wings. I quickly got up and stared at the dragon and was about to yell at it. Before I could, the dragon lifted its tail and tried to move its tail fins by extending and then closing them. One was working but the other wasn't moving much, as if the dragon couldn't control it.

"That's why it crashed! For a moment I thought it was doing it on purpose," Hiccup said.

The Night Fury then looked at me with a sad expression and made a sad growl, then ran towards the latch and went down to the lower deck. Once the dragon fell, Toothless seemed to want to follow it. "Astrid, let's go check on that dragon. Something might be wrong with it," Hiccup said.

"But what about Ron-" he put his finger on my lips.

"We'll go get him after this. I know that Ronde can take care of himself, so don't worry too much."

I didn't know what to say so I just nodded. We jumped down the latch to see where the dragon could have gone. But thanks to the lit candles in the hallway we saw that the Dragon was at the end of the hall right next to Toothless. The Night Fury was just laying down on the floor.

"Astrid, I don't know how this dragon will respond to all of us in its space," Hiccup whispers, "So maybe you should see it, that dragon does seem more interested in you."

"Alright." I slowly walk towards the dragon. After taking a few steps, the dragon looks at me, then quickly tries to avoid my gaze. '_That's weird. It's not concerned at all that I'm this close to it.' _I noticed that this dragon is only slightly smaller than Toothless and chances are it's a young male. The dragon looks a lot like Toothless, only smaller. I put my hand on the dragon's forehead. He stopped moving for a moment. Nothing felt off when it came to his temperature so he wasn't sick.

"Hiccup, I don't think there's anything wrong with the dragon. I think he's just scared or nervous."

"He? So you think it's a male too. I'm just surprised the dragon isn't fighting with Toothless for dominance. But maybe he knows that Toothless is the Alpha."

I walk away from the dragon and towards Hiccup.

"What are going to do about Ronde? We can't leave him there. He might just still be looking for you."

"I don't know, even if we wanted to leave, it would seem that the dragon doesn't want us to leave this boat."

"So what should we do?"

Even I could tell that he was having a hard time coming up with a plan to rescue her but then his eyes widen.

"Stop the boat and get Fishlegs. I think I got something."

Ronde(POV)

All my life I had to run.

I had to live.

Fight.

And survive.

But this...I don't know what to do. I can't avoid this. I can't run from this or fight through this. Maybe I can survive, but will they accept me like this?

And now they're going to risk their lives for mine. Why? They don't know me, they don't know my story or know who or what I am.

But I can't let them do this, not again. If I had just taken Hiccup off the island when the Bog Burglars attacked and told the others to follow me, none of this would have happened.

No, if I would have just remembered to tell them about the Bog Burglars' raid a few days ago, I could have avoided this whole situation.

This is all my fault.

The only way to make it right is to expose my secret to them. But how would they react? Would they trust me again? I can't go through that again. The look on my father's face stills haunts me to this day, the intent to kill. But they wouldn't do that to me, would they?

No, but...

_("I just can't win.")_

_("What wrong young one?")_

_("There looking for me, but I'm scared what they'll do if they know am here like this.")_

_("Why?")_

_("This isn't normal.") I try to gesture to myself. ("I told you my secret that day because your judgment is different, compared to them. Yet that day when it was the first time I met you, you could tell that I was different from the others.")_

_(Yes, I could feel your emotion but all I could feel was your negative emotions. That's why I attacked you.")_

_(Not the point. What I'm trying to say is I'm different from them, people fear what they don't understand, why am scared to tell them because they might be scared of me.)_

_("Are they now?")_

_("N-no.")_

_("Were they scared of you then?")_

_("No.")_

_("Then try to trust them, they need to know that you are here before they do something crazy.")_

_("But what if they...")_

_("I promise no harm will come to you while I'm here. You helped me today even though I lost hope. But you risk your life to help another, you are a Kin to me.")_

_I didn't know what to say at that moment. So my emotions came out at once, I slowly bow towards him. ("T-thank you for that.")_

_("Are you fine? You seem a little off right now.")_

_("I don't know. I do feel a little funny and lightheaded but that might be from something else. I need to adjust my voice so they can understand me.")_

_("You can do that?")_

_("Yes. it takes practice but I should manage.")_

I was not ready for this today but what choice do I have now?

Astrid(POV)

"Are you sure? We just got you out and now you want to go back in?"

"I'll be up high with Toothless, and thanks to his scales, we'll blend in with the night sky. The only problem is that it's almost morning, so we will be exposed but if we use Stormfly's sense of smell, we should be able to find him within a few minutes."

"Fishlegs, I need you to distract the other Night Fury. For some odd reason that dragon won't let us leave the ship."

"Okay, I think I can handle that." Fishlegs said.

This is going to work.

"Let me get Stormfly and we'll get started."

"Theirsss no point looking for him if he's not there."

The raspy voice we heard behind us stopped out planning, scaring us into not moving.

"What was that? No, who said that?"

"Plussss that plan issss doomed to fail. It'ssss already daylight outssside."

"Who said that? Where are you?" I yelled.

"Clossser then you think. Turn around."

We all turn around to see nothing but the two Night Furies at the end of the hall.

"What is this a game? Show yourself!"

"Unbelievable I know, but I am in front of you, look harder and you'll ssssee me."

We all looked in the hallway but nothing was there. Is it possible that one of the Bog Burglars snuck in the ship?

"Where are you? In one of the cages?!"

"Do I need to come to you sssso you can sssssee me? Are you Vikingsss that blind?"

"Show yourself, you coward!" I yelled.

"How am I a coward if you can't sssee me but I can sssee you? Come towards the end of the hallway, sslowly pleasse."

When the voice said those last to words it sounded scared but we all took our time walking towards the end of the hallway.

"Sstop pleasse that'ss far enough..."

His voice was quieter. That means he was very close to us.

"Alright then show yourself."

He was quiet this time. "What's wrong? Is this a trick or something?"

"...No..."

I was beginning to get irritated.

"Then what are you waiting for!?"

"...Pleassse, don't freak out or hurt me...pleasse."

I heard a noise to my left. It was the brown-eyed Night Fury, trying to sit on its hind legs and tail. He staring at us. Then I saw the Dragon open its mouth.

"I am what you're looking for."

We stared in disbelief, unable to say a thing. No, this is impossible no I must be dreaming that fall might have done it.

"Am I going crazy or did that dragon just talk to us?" Fishlegs sounding like he was unsure of himself.

"Yeah, I think I'm hearing this too," replied Hiccup

The dragon opens its mouth again.

"No one fainted. You guysss are handling this very well, but no you're not crazy. I can...talk to you."

Everyone backED away from the dragon and the dragon looked surprised and disappointed. "Ar-are you sscared of me?" No one answered. This was too much for us to handle. The dragon lowers his head. "I sssee, thiss is what I was afraid of."

I don't know why but my mouth moved before I had a chance to think, "What are you? Some sort of demon?"

The dragon then looks at me for a moment then looks towards the ground.

"Other'sss would call me that because they didn't take the time to know me. But you calling me that, it hurtss but..." the dragon looks deep into my eyes and said.

"At least you're honest..."

No...No, no no no this can't, no this is impossible! But the memories began flooding my mind.

**_"I haven't seen her in 7 years."_**

**_"I can communicate with dragons."_**

**_"I lied about my island. There are no people. It's just dragons"_**

**_"When I'm angry beyond a certain point, I don't think, I just react. It's hard to calm myself down."_**

**_"I'm not sure the others told you because I know that they read my diary, but I can't completely control my emotions and I can't think straight when it happens. Last time I was this hungry when someone brought me some food I almost...attacked them."_**

**_"Tell me how would you feel if your father tried to take your life only because he couldn't recognize...!"_**

**_"I recognize passion when I see it and you get plenty of it. Hiccup is lucky to have someone like you in his life." _**

**_"When this is all over and we manage to save Hiccup, I'll tell you everything."_**

**_"Everything about what?" I had asked._**

**_"Everything about my past. Why I ran away and the 7 years I was away from my home."_**

**_"Your enemy, huh?"_**

**_"Well at least you're honest."_**

This can't be, but how would... no...

I could barely talk but I need to know.

"Ro-Ron- Ronde...is that you?"

The dragon looked even sadder but said only a few words that would change the way I think about him.

"Yessss, it'ss me."

* * *

**-Yeah, so Ronde's a dragon. I've been hinting at that since the second chapter of the story. I'm pretty sure some of you are surprised, some of you aren't, but there are still some mysteries to be solved. What is the Chimera Dragon? Why did Ronde run away? What are his origins? **

**Some of them get solved in the next chapter (spoiler by the way) not really. Anyway, the next chapter could be coming out next week or next month depending on if I get a beta reader or you guys review and tell me how you like the story so far and what can be better about it. Please, I need feedback. Anyway, see you guys next chapter.**


	20. Chapter 17 The First Time It Happen

**_Special Thanks to my Beta Reader _**_**TheLoversTheDreamersAndMe **_**_for fixing the grammar in this chapter._**

* * *

Astrid(POV)

"Yesss, it iss me," The dragon claiming to be Ronde hissed.

"No, that's impossible," Hiccup said, astounded.

"S-so isss a talking dragon that knows every one of your names, Hiccup, Fisshlegss and Assstrid."

There was a moment of silence again. This is hard to believe that in all our lives this didn't seem possible, yet it's right in front of us. Is this why he ran away from his home?

The dragon looked away from us and began laughing nervously.

"It wass ssupposed to be so simple, find you, drop you off and come back as me but it ends up like thisss. The plan was to find and rescue Hiccup. I found the prisson where he was being held captive. I was sssupposed to go down there, knock out a few guardss, and unlock his ccell door."

The dragon looks at Hiccup. "But sssomehow you managed to essscape and had the guardsss chasssing you. At that point, I didn't have a choice but to change my appearanccce and ressscue you, which I managed to do. The next part wasss to drop you off towardsss thisss boat and get the otherss attention to let them know that you were there. After, I wasss going to fly off and change back, but I didn't expect the Bog Burglarsss to catch up to usss ssso quickly. And now here we are on a boat on our way back to Berk." He made a noise similar to growling.

"Until you guysss tried to go back to the island to come to find me. I jussst couldn't let you go ssso I tried ssstopping Astrid. Then you guysss were coming up with a rescue plan that wasss doomed to fail? What were you thinking!?"

The dragon looks at me. "I told you not to come back to get me, but you didn't listen sso I had no choice but to sssay something to you, letting you know that I am here asss...thisss." He gestured to himself with his paw. After that explanation, there was no doubt in my mind that this dragon was telling the truth, that he is Ronde, but how?

"So wait if you are Ronde, tell me, were you the same dragon that trashed my house?" Hiccup asked.

"Oh yeah…yesss, that wasss me."

"Why?"

"That day I thought you sssaid that you were sleeping over with Astrid. You ssscared me because I thought you knew it was me and I didn't know what to do, so I tried pretending I was wild and threatened you so you could back off and allow me to escape."

Hiccup eyes widen. "It is you."

Fishlegs was next to say something, "Ronde, how did this happen to you?"

"It's a very long...s-story...T-that...in-in-...involvesss...m-...what's...going...o-on?..."

He places his claws on his head. His irises dilated back and forth from circles to slits. Something was very wrong with him. "Ronde, what's happening?"

"The...r-room...is...is...ssspinning...why...do...i...f-feel...like...like...T-thisss..?"

Suddenly he collapses in front of us and hits the floor hard. His eyes were halfway closed. He looked unconscious. Everyone ran towards him. Even Toothless was trying to wake him up. "Ronde, what's wrong?" I shook his shoulder. No response.

"Guys, I think I know what the problem is," Fishlegs stated. We all looked to see what he was talking about. On the tip of the tail was a black tranquilizer dart.

"No wonder he crash-landed, but why did it take so long for the effects to kick in?" Hiccup asked.

"Because the tip of the tail was the farthest away from any blood vessels or vein. It must have taken a while for it to go through his system," Fishlegs, ever the dragon expert, explained.

"So now what?" I asked. Hiccup was quieter than usual but finally spoke.

"We go home. Everyone is here so there's no point staying out here in the middle of the ocean. Fishlegs, I don't know who was sailing this ship but go and set a course for home. I guess Astrid and I can stay here to keep an eye on him."

"Okay, but what should I tell the others?"

"Don't tell them about Ronde's...condition, just tell them that we found him but he's resting. If he wakes up I believe he's going to be very upset if the others find out."

Fishlegs quickly nodded and walked back to the first floor on the ship.

Now it was me, Hiccup and an unconscious dragon that was human.

"In my life I never thought this was possible. How can it be possible that madmen from Nepenthe Island claimed that he was just a dragon in human flesh? But Ronde is an _actual _dragon," Hiccup stated. I lowered myself to have a better look at Ronde.

"I don't know, but he did tell me that once this was all over he was going to tell me why he ran away 7 years ago. But I now believe that this is the reason."

"Look, Astrid."

I gave Hiccup my attention.

"I know that you're worried about him but he's going to be okay. Right now I'm worried about what he's going to do when he wakes up. But we can focus on that when we get home."

Before I had a chance to respond I heard a voice.

"...Home?..."

Hiccup and I glance at each other then towards the direction of where the voice was coming from. It was Ronde.

"...We're...going...home?..my...home...back...home...to...see...mother?...home?."

Hiccup and I both went in front of Ronde to see him muttering words. He still looked off.

"I thought he was unconscious," I said.

"He might just be barely conscious, he might be able to respond to us but I don't think he will remember any after this."

"...home...I'm...going...home...to...see...them...again...mother...sister's...mentor...no...not...father...bad...bad...thought...he'll...try...to...kill...me...again.."

"His father was the reason he decided to run away," Hiccup said, "he probably didn't know Ronde was a dragon and tried to kill him. No wonder he doesn't like to discuss his past."

When he said that an idea came to mind. I got on my knees and lifted Ronde's head and moved my legs underneath his chin and placed him on my lap while stroking his head gently.

"Astrid what are you-" I gestured to him to stop talking. I hate taking advantage of good people but I needed to know. "Ronde why did you run away from your home?"

"...run...away...from...home?..."

"Yes, why did you run?"

"...are...you..a...friend?..."

I don't know what to say, but after everything he's done for all of us I said:

"Yes, we are your friends." He was quiet. I thought he lost consciousness, but then he spoke.

"...Friend...was...drugged...was...going to...hurt...father...but I...tried...to...stop him...but he...attack...me...he...bit...me."

Hiccup and I gave each other confused looks as he continues.

"...Father...killed...friend...in front...of me...but...I...was... poisoned...from...friend...I...was...dying."

He stopped talking I thought because it was over, but then I saw his eyes slowly closing. I tried to keep him awake by gently slapping him on the face.

"Hold on then. What happened?"

"...Grandma...trying...to...remove...the...poison...she...gave...me...a...drink...to..help...remove...the...poison...but...it...change...me...pain...pain...the...pain...so much...pain..."

"Then what happened?" I asked. No reply. "Ronde?" The tranq dart had finally took full effect of his body.

"I don't think he can get up now. I believe the full effects of the dart kicked in. He's going to be out for who knows how long," Hiccup stated.

I didn't say anything, just slowly got up and placed his head back on the floor gently.

"Ronde, what have you been through?" I murmured.

Ronde(POV)

_"Ronde…"_

_("Hey, you there.")_

_"Why…?"_

_("Tell me.")_

_"Did you…?"_

_("Where are you from?")_

_"Runaway?…"_

_("I don't know anymore. I just thought that if I were to become me again I'll be accepted again by everyone...but things changed... I've changed. But I just wanted to see them again...mother, sisters, mentor, Sire, and Dam…I...just...want...to...go...home.")_

_I woke up on a wooden surface on the floor. I could barely move for some odd reason. Every time I did, something felt off. I tried standing up but when I did I fell back on the ground._

_"Graaa haaaa? Grrra griaa riaa gria huu?" ("What the? Why can't I get up?")_

_There was a noise that scared me, I looked around to see where the noise was coming from. But I couldn't find it. It sounded like something squawking and growling. 'There might be a dragon in here somewhere.'_

_I tried to sit down but it felt strange too. Everything felt odd but I tried to ignore it by looking around in this dark environment. But while I was looking around I noticed I was in my grandmother's cabin where she keeps her patients when they're injured. It looked like something clawed at the walls and floor next to the lit candles all over the room. 'That's new.'_

_'Wait a minute, why am I on the floor? Why didn't she put me on the bed like a normal person? But then again this is my grandma so nothing normal when it comes to her.'_

_'Actually, why I'm I here when something happened to me? Well, hopefully, I don't have to go to training tomorrow unless it's with my mentor. Now think, what happened.'_

_I tried to remember but something was clouding my mind._

_...No, it's a blank. All I remember is preparing for a family dinner to discuss the future. And sitting down with the family and Dapper. Then..._

_It was starting to slowly come back to me._

_Dapper, my dragon, was acting strangely. He tried to attack Father. I remember trying to stop him by getting in his way but then he...bit...me around my torso. Dad pulled out his sword then he...NO! He can't be...no my father would never kill a dragon if it was valuable to him. The Anti-Venom that grandma was making was very valuable and it had multiple healing properties. He didn't...he couldn't!' The vision of blood was on the table as I was slowly losing consciousness, that when the vision ends._

_"Gaw Gran." ("My friend.")_

_I was about to cry but then I heard that noise again. Where was it coming from? But I also heard another noise that sounded like footsteps coming from the other room. I look at the door and wait for it to open, slowly it opens and I see my grandmother with blood on her apron. But for some odd reason, the smell of blood was much stronger than normal and for a strange reason, the smell was making me hungry._

_'Why is that? I just ate not that long ago unless I've been in here longer than I thought. Wait, the smell of blood is making me hungry!?'_

_I tried to toss that thought out of my head and look at my grandma. I smiled. She looked like she had a rough time so there was no point of complaining to her about leaving me on the floor. And usually, when I smile, she smiles and it brightens up her day._

_But not this time, she cautiously backs away from me. And I was mentally hurt, she never acted this way towards me. Was she scared of me or something? I tried to call her to see what was wrong._

_"Grrrraahha?" ("Grandma?")_

_There it was again the noise of something squawking but something was wrong that even I started to notice. Every time I tried to say something that noise will match what I was saying as if it was-_

_"Ronde..." My grandma finally spoke._

_I quickly looked towards her and smiled again but something was wrong with her facial expression as if she's not seeing me._

_"Is that you?" She finished as she was very cautiously walking towards me._

_My smile faded._

_"Grrea? ha grrrrss, sss gra gya haar graw... " ("What? Of course, it's me why would you…") 'Wait a minute, that noise is coming from me!? What's wrong with my voice!?'_

_"Ronde if that is you just nod your head yes...please."_

_I looked over towards her. Maybe she has something to do with my voice. Sometimes her Elixir can prevent clear speech. But why doesn't she think it's me? But why does she look like she had a hard time with something? Was it because of me or something else?_

_I nodded my head up and down, saying yes._

_She blew her breath she was holding and quickly leaned down towards me and hugged me._

_'I wasn't expecting her to hug me and it still felt weird but somehow this feels really nice.'_

_Then she was scratching and rubbing my hair and suddenly a soft rumble started deep in my throat. I was wondering why but I didn't care. The feeling of pleasure while she was scratching me quickly got rid of that thought._

_She looked at me for a moment and hugged me again but this time she was crying, "Ronde, I'm so sorry I did this."_

_What is she talking about? What does she mean she did this?_

_After the hug, I noticed something about her or at least it has something to do with me. But I could see more details on her face than normal. The bags underneath her eyes, every wrinkle on her face and the details on her dark skin. I could see every bump and mole on her face. '_What is going on? Why is everything so sharp with my vision?'

_She went towards one of her drawers and pulled out something that looked like a mirror. She came to me and kneels to get a better look at me. "Ronde...I tried everything I could to heal you but for some strange reason, the anti-venom wasn't working on you. I...I..was afraid I was going to lose you so I tried another method to help with the poison but it had a side effect that I don't think I can cure but...I'm so sorry."_

'Side effect? Was it my voice? No, she can easily cure that, so what is she talking about?'

_She flips the mirror the opposite way so I could see myself. I was expecting a large bump in the middle of my forehead or something similar, but when I looked into the mirror, my whole world crashed. The only thing that I could recognize was my eyes and hair color. When I stared into the mirror, a purple dragon was staring right back._

_I slowly looked down to see my hands now replaced with claws my skin replaced with scales. I looked back at the mirror and my eyes were now slits._

_I lost it._

_"RAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!?" I screamed and tried to back away from her but I still couldn't walk so I fell on my side, that's when I noticed I had WINGS!_ 'No this can't be real I must be dreaming. I HAVE TO BE!'

'No, this is real, this is too real I could feel every movement of my scales and my tail...I HAVE A TAIL!?' _This is too much. I began to cry on the floor. _'My life is over, what can I do as a Dragon!?'

_"I'm sorry about this, Ronde, I tried to save you but I managed to change your body. And for a moment I thought that you lost your mind as well, that's why I was cautious when I saw you."_

_I looked at her with a confused look with tears in my eyes._

_She must have read my facial expression and then said:_

_"This is the second time you have woken up. The first time you did you were screaming and then roaring in pain. I saw you change from a boy to this. You grew into something three times the size you are now and you tried to attack me. That is what these scratches came from all over the floor and walls. _

_"Then you just stopped moving and placed your hands on top of your head and started roaring again. Then you just fell over and fainted. You started shrinking to the size that you are now. You looked to be the same size as you were when you were human but now it looks like you have to walk on all fours. But I'm sorry that I did this to you."_

_I was shocked I don't remember any of that! And I tried to attack Grandma? 'No, I would never. The last thing I remember is dad pulling out his sword to...Dapper...is... I can't believe this is happening, all this, it's too much.'_

_My grandma was right next to me stroking my back and something else on my back. It felt like it was a part of my spine but on the outside. She continues stroking my back, I know she is not trying to treat me like I'm a pet. She does this with all of her patients to help them relax. Then she noticed the tears from my eyes. "This is strange, the majority of dragons don't have tear glands so they can't cry. Now that I think about it you still have you have your hair and eye color."_

_She put her hand on top of my head and started playing with my hair. "Dragons that I know of don't have hair. This doesn't feel like your hair however it's more like fur only thicker, and...let me see your hand, please."_

_I hesitated but I put my claws on her hand. " 1,2,3,4 fingers and...you have thumbs! You still have some of your human traits!"_

_I gave her my attention. 'What are you talking about?'_

_She noticed my confused look and said, "It might be possible for you to be human again but it may have something to do with you. I don't know and I don't want to get your hopes up."_

'So I'm stuck like this, probably forever? Great, what I'm I going to do? My life is going to change.'

_Then she gave me a serious look, "We're going to have to tell your parents about your... condition, Ronde."_

_I was angry, not at her, but the idea of my father knowing that I was a dragon. I know that he would use me as a weapon just to further his goals._

_"Ronde?"_

_I looked at grandma and when I did she flinched back away from me. I was confused until I heard a noise similar to growling and I realized it was coming from me. Then I realized I was in a position like I was ready to attack someone._

_'_Oh no how did that happen, I don't even remember moving!' _I tried to lower myself to the floor._

_"You were angry and took that position. Strange, as if you have the instincts of a dragon as well. Ronde, don't get too angry in the future."_

_I gave her a blank stare, _'Are you serious? I can't promise that, have you seen my life and what I've been through!?'

_Grandma suddenly stands up, removes her bloody apron and grabs a huge furry bag and straps it around her, "Come on, get in." She gestures towards the bag._

_I looked towards the bag and back to her and shook my head while backing away from her._

_"Ora rel ro." ("Oh hell no.")_

_"Watch your mouth! I don't need to understand the dragon language to know what you just said."_

_I was slightly embarrassed that she knew what I tried to say but why do I need to get in there? Isn't there another way to get to my home?_

_She must have noticed my discomfort and explained._

_"You need to get in here because I don't want others to think that I'm a dragon breeder and/or take care of baby dragons."_

_Before I had a chance to think of a way to communicate with her she said._

_"Don't worry about your weight, believe it or not, you weigh less as a dragon than you did as a boy. You shouldn't put too much of a strain on my back."_

_'But why didn't you put me on the bed when I... you know what, forget about it.' I tried to crawl inside the bag and I fit right in perfectly._

_She slightly closed it but I could still see outside._

_"Alright, we're going towards the Castle. It might be a few minutes if you get uncomfortable, let me know. Oh and another thing: just because you're a dragon doesn't mean light things on fire or use the bathroom wherever you want."_

_"Raaahh?" ("What?")_

_"I'm just saying, Ronde."_

_I couldn't help but laugh. She honestly believes I would do that._

_"Are you laughing?" She asked, concerned._

_"Rss." ("Yes.")_

_"I'm assuming a response means yes, it sounded like you were choking for a moment."_

_I don't know what to say or how to say it that she could understand. _

Is this how my life is going to be from now on? Unable to talk to my loved ones? What I'm I going to do? Even if the others knew it was me they would treat me differently, could I really stay here? Well, the others still treat me like I'm me? Will my mother still love me?

And what about the story that grandma told me or the thing that just happened when I got angry, is it possible that I'll lose myself? I don't want to live life as a wild animal I just...what do I want in my life? I'm 10 so I don't need a girlfriend yet, but I'm a dragon so that is not going to happen. I just don't know, my life up till now has been training, combat, learning new strategies and learning how to be the next k-, no I never wanted that, out of all the responsibilities I never wanted to become that. I never wanted to replace my father, but thank god I wasn't the firstborn in this family, that title goes to my sister's but if they fail the test it will be up to me. But I'm a dragon now so that's not going to happen either. But again what do I want in my life? My life has been on a course that was built by my father but now I have a choice to continue on his path that he created or to make my own.

_As I was thinking about that I didn't notice how much time had passed. We were already here and grandma opened the bag and I noticed we were in my room and she placed the bag on top of my bed. _

_"I'm going to find my daughter. You stay here and try not to make any noise, okay?"_

_I quickly nodded and hopped out of the bag._

_She left me in my room by myself. 'What should I do to pass the time? Play with my toys, draw maybe or discover more about my body. That sounds weird but let's see.'_

_I jumped off my bed and landed on my stomach. I tried to get up. Right, I need to learn how to walk again._

_I practiced for several minutes walking around my bed until It was easy to move around. Should I learn how to run too? No. Well, not yet anyway. I walked towards my wooden toys, sat down on my back legs and tried playing with them, but my nails got in the way when I tried to move the body parts. _'So I can't even play with my toys anymore? Great, now what can I do to entertain myself?'

_I looked over and saw my drawing space and went towards it. I hopped on top of my chair and picked up a pencil. It was fairly easy to pick it up but now comes the hard part. Can I still write?_

_I tried writing my name._

_Ronde Strykyster Koning._

_'Yes!' Thanks to my thumbs it was easy. It's not as neat but it is readable._

'At least I can do this.'

_Okay, let's try drawing a few things._

_I decided to draw basic shapes such as squares, circles and triangles. I would've tried to draw something else but my hand is beginning to cramp._

_'Well now what? Maybe I should look at myself in the mirror? I have to get used to this face and body,' I was walking towards my mirror and saw myself._

_'So this is me huh, can I get used to this?' I looked closer towards certain features on my body. My hair, it looked like a mane. It was long and it was sticking up instead of going down, and I think I see horns coming out of my hair. My nose was somewhat long with fangs coming out from the sides of my mouth. Then I decided to open my mouth to see fangs but what confused me was I had 8 flat teeth. The last two teeth in the back of my mouth on each side top and bottom were flat._

_'Weird what is that supposed to mean? I can eat multiple things other than meat?" I continued looking. My scales were all the same color except the ones on my chest and stomach. They were a little bit lighter. My tail...that's going to take some getting used to but has tiny spikes in the middle that ran across my spine that got bigger the further up my back. I tried to find the right muscles to work my wings but after a few minutes of trying I managed to open them. They were big, each wing was bigger than my body itself._

_'Wow. If only I knew how to fly. Oh well, not today, how do I put them back?'_

_After several minutes of trying I managed to find the right muscles to fold them back. Then I looked at myself in the mirror. _'I wonder what kind of dragon am I? I never have seen this before.'

_Then I looked toward the door, 'I wonder what talking grandma so long? I know it's been close to 30 minutes since she left my room. Maybe I should sleep in my bed until she gets here.'_

_I ran then jumped on my bed and tried to lay underneath my covers but I quickly became uncomfortable. So I just lay in the middle of my bed and tried to fall asleep in a comfortable position._

_I couldn't sleep._

_The idea of my mother freaked out because of the way I looked and how my father would try to use me as a weapon to further his own goals and no one in my family accepted me kept me from sleeping._

_Then I heard my door open and I looked over to see who it was. I thought it was my grandma but It was the young cleaning lady that helps out every other day. Her name was Blom. She was nice but I told her not to come into my room the last time I saw her. She has a habit of not putting my stuff back where she found it._

_I just lay back down on my bed. She was cleaning my drawing space and then she moved my toys off the shelf, then dusted it. Not once had I moved from my spot to see what she was doing. I could hear her every move. It was almost distracting. What was distracting, however, was her smell. I could smell that she had recently taken a bath with some sort of fruit oil and washed her clothes and set them out all day in the sun so they could dry. She smelled very nice. 'Wow a dragon sense of smell is this strong?'_

_"Oh what is this?"_

_She was directly behind me when she said that, she must have noticed me._

_'Uh oh.'_

_"It looks so real. I didn't think Ronde would like dragon dolls."_

_'Wait a minute did she just call me a doll? My size did somewhat remain the same but since I can only walk on all fours it looks like I'm small, but I was at most 4'6'' in height If I were to stand on my legs again._

_Then she came to the other side of my bed to have a better look. I keep my eyes closed._

_"Why does it look so real?"_

_All of a sudden, she pokes my eye and I take a step away from her while grunting in pain while holding the place she poked._

_"Gya rarha graw rai Raah!? ("Why would you do that!?")_

_It took me a moment to realize that I just blew my cover._

_She looked surprised and scared as if I was going to attack her._

_'Oh no, please don't scream, uh how did Dapper pull off that cute face to make me forgive him when he did something dumb? Uh, quick! Think of something!'_

_I smiled, showing my many sharp teeth._

_'I'm so stupid.'_

_She screamed while running out of my room, "Help! There is a dragon trying to eat me!"_

_'Drama queen. Really?'_

_'Forget her! I needed to hide fast! But where? My closet? No, too easy to find. Out the window? That is a long drop to the ground and I don't know how to use my wings! Under the bed?' Yeah, that'll do.'_

_I quickly hid underneath my bed. My sheets have covered the space between the floor and the bed. I should be safe._

_I heard multiple footsteps coming towards my room. The smell of metal enters my nose. 'They have weapons? No, I can't be caught now!'_

_"Okay, Blom, where is this dragon?"_

_'That voice! That was my father! No, no, no, no not now! If he finds me like this I'm dead!'_

_"That dragon was on your son's bed. It was just resting but then it tried to attack me."_

_I suppress the urge to growl, 'Not telling the whole story to make me sound like the villain. Yeah, you're so lucky I can't talk right now!'_

_"How do you think the dragon got in here, Strykyster?"_

_'That my mother's voice! She always calls my dad by his middle name if she was angry or worried.'_

_My father spoke, "Well if the girl isn't making this up, probably by the windows. Guards, you may go. I'll look for it. Chances are that it's a Youngling."_

_After he said that I heard multiple footsteps leave my room and the smell of metal wasn't as strong._

_I heard my father walking around my room. "Let see, it's not in the closet, the window isn't open wide enough and it's not windy outside so I wonder where the little dragon could have gone," he said while almost while laughing."_

_My eyes widen, 'He knows!'_

_Suddenly he flips the bed over the side revealing me, I tried backing away but he kicked me away from my bed._

_"Oh, look what we have here?" Then he had a confused look on his face, "What do we have here? I have never seen a dragon like this before. Is it a new breed?"_

_I tried to back away from him, but I backed up into a corner. I was shaking with fear yet I don't know why? I thought that I'd be angry when he kicked me but just by seeing him I felt something around him, but he hasn't done anything to me yet. Is this my instinct telling me that something is wrong? My father then steps a little closer to me. _

_"I wonder why it just doesn't fly away? Well, it doesn't matter now, does it?"_

_I watched him unsheathe his sword and now I know why I should be scared._

_I looked towards my mother. She was just standing there next to the door watching me with pity. But I tried to call out to her._

_("Mother please stop him, it's me, Ronde!") I squawked_

_I tried to extend my claw towards her but she looked confused by my gesture. But then she spoke, "Hold on, Strykyster, don't try to scare it."_

_I smiled at her, 'She's giving me a chance, I can try to tell them that it's me if I could just get to my drawing space.'_

_I look over towards my father and he places his other hand on his sword, ready to swing it at me._

_My heart was racing._

_("No! Please, Dad, it's me! Ronde! IT'S ME!")_

_"No, this dragon needs to learn that I am the master." He held his sword high._

_("DAD, IT'S ME! PLEASE DON'T DO THIS! I'M YOUR SON! DAD, PLEASE!")_

_He swung his sword towards me._

_…._

_'W-what Happened? I'm still alive?'_

_I was breathing hard, but something was off, like time somehow moved forward. I was gliding through the air away from my home. I was about to land._

_'Wait how did I get here? How am I flying? And what's that smell, is that blood?'_

_I wasn't paying attention so I landed a little rough on the ground but my scales protected me. 'Ow, okay, I think I'm fine but what happened and how did I get in the air in the first place?'_

_'Wait a minute, where did Grandma go? Is it possible that she forgot about me? No, she was probably waiting for my parents to return, but I could tell that she was tired, she probably fell asleep somewhere in my home.'_

_Then the smell of blood creeps back into my nose. 'Where is that smell coming from?' Then I saw the source of the smell. It was coming from my claws. It wasn't a lot but it still freaked me out._

_'What!? No, I didn't do this I...would never...' then another smell entered my nose. There was a scent that was familiar right next to the blood on my paw. It was my father's odor._

_'No, I admit I was scared but I would never try to harm my dad. Even when it came to combat practice, I wouldn't try to spill his blood. But this isn't a lot of blood, it's just on my nails but whatever I did to him might need stitches.' I was somewhat relieved._

_Then it hit me, 'I was scared of him before he did anything to me, is it possible that my instincts kicked in when I saw his sword? Is that why I don't remember what happened after he swung his sword? Did I just react to danger but lost myself in the process?'_

_I realized something, 'Whatever I did to dad my mother saw me she might think I'm a monster, a beast. She won't see me as her son anymore. I blew whatever chance I had to tell them it was me.'_

_'No, this can't be! I can't go back! If I do they'll kill me!' I was hyperventilating and the world around me was fading. ("No!") I roared. _'Calm down, I can't blackout now just calm down.'_ ("Breathe, just breathe..."). The breathing exercise that my mentor taught me was working. 'Okay, let's find some water to drink and wash this blood off. This area looks familiar. There should be a stream nearby.'_

_I walked through the bushes and trees and took me a few minutes to find the stream. I lowered myself to drink some of the water, After I had enough, I put my claws in the water and tried to wash off the blood. It took a minute but I managed to clean it off my claws._

_'Okay, I'm calm, I just need to think about my next move. Let's see, what can I do? Should I go back and try to convince them? No, that is stupid! Why would I even think of that? I obviously harmed my father so the next time I see him he might try to kill me. My mother is most likely terrified of me. I can't go back to her. Maybe go back to Grandma's hut? Possibly the best option but what will I do? She'll keep me locked up inside her home. She'll be too scared to show me to my family. I can't live like that. My mentor? The second best option but no, rumors will spread about what happened to my father and since there isn't another dragon that looks like me they will find me and kill me.'_

**_I have nowhere to go._**

**_Nowhere._**

**_I'm alone._**

**_No._**

_I need to hide, I need to get away from here. I need to go somewhere where I live with food and water until I discover a way to come back as me._

_An island._

_I know the perfect place! That one island where I and everyone else went hunting for food! We don't go there anymore so I should be safe if I get there._

_But how will I get there? I don't know how to fly. What I'm I supposed to do? Steal a boat?_

_Wait, actually, that is not a bad idea. They always leave the boat and ships unguarded during the early morning hours. It's night time so I should at least be close to the docks then I'll rest in a tree where no predator or person could find me._

_'Alright this is a one-time thing, once I do this there's no going back until I know how to be human again if it's possible.'_

_("Yeah I'll be fine, this just the start of a journey.")_

_I ran towards the forest hoping to find something that can help me get to the docks._

_I woke up in a dark place. The floor was cold and the sunlight was barely shining._

_'Where am I?' I looked around and I was in some sort of stone chamber._

_'Why am I here?' Then I saw my claws. Night Fury paws._

_'I'm changed? When? Why did I?'_

_Then it all came back to me, 'I rescued Hiccup like this but the others were looking for me and I...TOLD THEM THAT I WAS A DRAGON! No! I thought that I was dreaming about those parts. Oh no please tell me that they didn't tell the others.'_

_'No, don't focus on that, just focus on what's going on right now.'_

_'What is going on right now the village is quiet. Wait, we're back at Berk? How long was I out for and...'_

_That when I noticed I was in some sort of cage with stone walls and metal bars in front of me. 'They locked me in here...'_

_'They're scared of me. Wait, no, if they were they would have put chains on me. Is it possible that they did this for my protection?'_

_I tried to open the cell door but it wouldn't budge. 'So they did lock me in here. I need to get out of this place. I think that this is the training area. Where are the Bog Burglars that we captured? I don't hear them.'_

_'Bah! Forget it I have one more change in me and it should be powerful enough to blast these metal bars.'_

_This is going to get cramped._

_Before I was about to try to escape something I saw something from the corner of my eyes._

_"What is this?"_

Hiccup's (POV)

"Okay I know we just got back, but we need to go," I announce.

"What? Why? We barely had an hour to rest," Snotlout complained.

"No, just me and Astrid and possibly another but I don't know who should go. It was supposed to be Ronde but...he's still resting."

Fishlegs and Astrid look at me. We haven't told the others the truth about Ronde. I don't think that's our place to tell them. However, I tried to explain his situation to Mom but she didn't believe me. I don't blame her either. I'm still trying to believe it myself.

"Anyways, Snotlout, did you and the others manage to put the Night Fury we found on the island in one of the cages in the ring?" I asked.

"Yes, I even locked the cage just like you ask me too."

"No, I said make sure that the cage wasn't locked!"

"It doesn't matter! We can go unlock it. Chances are that it's still asleep."

"Just hurry and unlock it before he wakes up!"

He started to laugh, "He? Did you name it yet? Let me guess, its name is Teethless or Nibbles or-"

"SNOTLOUT, GO!" we all shouted.

"Alright, it's not like it's going to get out anyway."

"RAAAAAAAHHHHHHAAAA!"

{BOOOOM!}

There was a huge amount of smoke coming from the ring.

We all ran towards the training area. The metal bars from Ronde's cell were blown up outwards and the metal bars were still molten hot, slowly flowing down as it melted.

"He did this? Toothless doesn't even have this much destructive force from his plasma blast."

"So...he managed to get out. I'll get Gobber to help clean this up," Snotlout said, disappointed.

"Hiccup, this doesn't look like he held back on the bars, this looks like rage. Is he angry at us or something?" Fishlegs whispers.

"I don't know, but I don't have time to look for him. We are already behind schedule. I need to leave now." Then I looked at Fishlegs. "Did you make up your mind about coming with us?"

I told Fishlegs about the day of peace meeting while we were on our way here. He seemed interested but didn't know if he wanted to go or not to replace Ronde.

"Yeah, the dragons didn't fly at all during the rescue mission, plus it sounds fun."

"Great. Pack you things. This will almost be a half a week's journey. It will take us 2 or 3 days just to get there. We can catch our food on the way there. But we leave in 30 minutes.

"Oh, then I need to hurry and prepare."

He walks away towards the exit of the ring and I look back at the remains of the cage. "I don't believe a Night Fury can do this. Is it possible that he had help? No, the cage bars are blown outwards. The blast came from the inside of the cage. I just hope he saw the letter me and Astrid left for him."

"Are you ready to leave?" I asked 25 minutes later when they had gathered back to me.

Both Fishlegs and Astrid nodded.

"Alright. It might take awhile, but we're going to small uninhabited islands so we can rest. I already have places we can stop by for a short rest if our dragons get tired. The island that we're going to rest on for the night is somewhat far but we should be able to make it there before nightfall."

"When do you think we'll make it to the island where the meeting is being held?" Fishlegs asked.

"If we're quick, two, maybe three days," I answer. "Are there any more questions?"

Both of them were silent.

"Okay then let's get moving." I hop on Toothless's back and rub the top of his head. "Come on, bud, let's go."

He hesitated for a moment and looked back towards the ring. Was he worried about Ronde?

But then he flew off and the others followed behind.

'I wonder what the others think about Ronde's condition? I mean now I understand why he is so secretive about not telling others that he's a dragon. But how is this possible? People don't just turn into dragons. Unless the legends of the Lycanwing are true.'

'Wait a minute ,but he's a Night Fury not a dragon with red scales and dark eyes. So again, how is this possible?'

Then I remember something. 'When we were trying to rescue Astrid from him he thought Toothless was a Sand Wraith. So then Toothless was the only Night fury he ever saw. But if he is a Night fury why would he be so surprised to see Toothless?'

'Sometimes not adding up, what am I missing?'

'Wait, the Chimera Dragon! He was on the same ship when they took it off his island. So why didn't he...unless he and the Chimera dragon are-'

"Hiccup, what's wrong?" I look behind me to see Astrid with a look of worry.

"I'm fine, just thinking."

"About Ronde?" She asked.

There was a moment of silence between us. The only thing we could hear was the sound of the wind blowing past us.

I finally spoke, "Yes. I'm just trying to make sense of this situation."

Fishlegs was next to say something.

"We don't have all the facts to make sense of this situation. All we know is that Ronde is a dragon and possibly raised the Chimera Dragon when it was a baby or fledgling."

I was confused. "He raised it? How do you know?"

"I found one of his papers about it. He drew the height, teeth and some of its abilities with a note on the side which makes a lot more sense now."

I didn't say anything because I think I figured something out about Ronde. But first I need to see the Chimera Dragon just to prove it, and I don't know why but I believe we were going to see that dragon very soon.

Astrid(POV)

It's late in the afternoon. The sun will be setting soon. But beforehand we stop on a few islands just to rest and catch food for us and our dragons so we have plenty of rations.

Then Hiccup yelled to get all of our attention. "The next island should be coming up soon. We'll rest there tonight and leave in the morning ,so let's set up a campfire when we get there."

A few minutes later we see the island in the distance. The island looks to be covered in trees and plants. There is a good chance that there is a large source of water if there are many trees.

We landed in the middle of the island with a large opening where we could set up our tents.

"This spot will do. Yeah, we could rest here for tonight. Astrid, Fishlegs and I will set up the tents. Can you and Stormfly get some firewood?"

"I believe I can do that," I replied.

I called out to Stormfly and we walked through the woods to find some trees that could be easily cut. We managed to find an old dead tree.

"Perfect, the bark is dry enough to easily catch on fire." I pointed to the tree, "Stormfly."

She chirps and uses her tail to cut through the tree. After a few minutes of cutting the tree, we had enough wood to keep the fire going until morning. "Come on girl, let's go back." I noticed she was looking at the sky for some strange reason but then quickly turned towards me and began following me.

"What did you see?"

She didn't respond; she just continued looking back and forth between me and the forest.

We made it back to our campsite and somehow managed to set up all of our tents. They were big enough to have our dragons inside with us as well.

"Wow, how did you make them so big?" I asked.

"Gobber and I have been working on something like this for a long time, we made it just in case if our dragons need to come inside with us if they sense an emergency or just to sleep next to us."

I place the firewood in the middle of the campsite. When I was done, I noticed something wrong with Stormfly. She was tense all of a sudden. And I wasn't just her; all of the dragons were in their defensive positions looking towards the forest.

"What wrong girl?" I said

"It's not just her, Meatlug is acting this way as well," Fishlegs replied. "They must sense something."

Something big just landed near us with a thump. But where is it coming from?

Next thing I know Toothless is snarling and looking in multiple directions to find the source of the noise.

I hear a twig snap on my right side. I don't know if the others heard it or not but I was distracted by a pair of glowing eyes staring directly at me, moving closer and closer.

"Guys, something's here and it's very close," I said.

The dragon was looking in the same direction I was but then all of a sudden stopped growling and just stared with curiosity.

Then it finally came into the sunlight the eyes stopped glowing and were almost out of the woods. "What is that?" I asked.

"Some type of dragon?" Fishlegs answer.

"I think it's the last thing we expect to see today," Hiccup stated.

Before I had a chance to respond the thing in the woods came out but the only thing I could see was its eyes and the rest of its body was invisible. So it was camouflaged.

But slowly color began to form around its body. It was a dragon, but more color formed around it and I couldn't believe what was in front of me.

"The Chimera Dragon?" I asked.

The dragon looks at all of us and then our campsite. And finally, it just stared at me with its brown eyes.

"I knew it," Hiccup whispered.

We all looked at Hiccup, then Fishlegs spoke, saying:

"You knew that this dragon was somehow following us."

Hiccup started walking towards the dragon and stopped in front of him.

"It took me a minute but I noticed something when it came to Ronde and this dragon. The first time I have seen this dragon I always wonder why it came towards our island and why on the same day that Ronde shows up asking for help. When I was captured by the Bog Burglars, they were explaining a story about the Chimera Dragon and Ronde being on the same boat. If Ronde knew this dragon, why didn't he ride this dragon to help fight against the Dragon Hunters on his island?"

Fishlegs replied, "I think that because he was afraid of that dragon being hurt."

"I thought that too but it didn't make any sense because why did this dragon help us during the raid on Berk? The Bog Burglars said that this dragon gave up and was captured, but when it came to our village it tried its best to protect us, but more specifically protect Astrid. And other things why didn't the dragon try to find the Foreverwing's new nest? Or try to come to our village when there were other dragons and feeding stations? Because he was already in our village."

"What do you mean?" Fishlegs asked.

He didn't say anything, he just looked at the Chimera dragon. "Should I tell them or you?"

The dragon looks at him but then just walks in the middle of our campsite to lay down on the soft grass.

"Hiccup, what are you saying?" I asked.

"It's not my place to say but it's up to him to tell you."

All of a sudden I heard something laughing nervously and angrily. "I don't know if I should be impressssed or upsssset with you for finding out."

That voice. It sounds like...

I turned around to see The Chimera Dragon with its eyes closed but mouth open. "I wasss trying to protect myssself and othersss from learning the truth. Afraid of what othersss might do to me if they were to find out about me."

I couldn't believe this, "Is that?"

The dragon then opens his eyes and looks at me. His brown eyes that look just like...I can see it now! No, he can't be also...

"I'm sssorry for everything I have done up till now. I was desssperate to keep this a sssecret ssso I tried everything to prevent othersss from finding out."

'This is too much, twice in one day!?'

"Fishlegsss, I'm sssorry for trapping you inssside of that net. I tried making up for it by letting you read my book."

"Hiccup and Toothlessss, I'm sssorry for our firssst encounter. I thought you were trying to control me and sssorry for messssing up your houssse."

The dragon then looks at me with tears in his eyes. "Assstrid I'm...so very sssorry for lying to you all thisss time and for kidnapping you. And I'm sssorry to you all for ssseeing me out of control during the Bog Burglarsss' raid. I lost all sssense of myssself when I saw Assstrid injured and I sssnapped."

I couldn't find any words and I think he notices as well. He spoke again, "I know, twiccce in one day, it can be too much. But it'sss me, Assstrid."

The dragon then slowly stands up on its two hind legs and looks at all of us. "I am Ronde Strykyster Koning: the one and only Chimera Dragon."

* * *

**There's more story when it comes to Ronde's first night as a dragon but I'll think I'll save that for another chapter. Don't expect another chapter for a little while.**

**P.s., I might rewrite this chapter in the future. I feel like it wasn't emotional enough.**


	21. Update-Announcement

**-I might do this from now on when planning on updating the story or to make an Announcement by having a short story in the middle or in between chapters. But this is just an update so enjoy this part story which takes place before Ronde flew to the Island to meet Hiccup and the others during chapter 17 enjoy.**

* * *

Ronde(POV)

I flew as fast I could to reach or at least catch up to Hiccup and the others. But I don't know what drove me to do this. Was it the letter that they left for me or was it the opportunity that the day of peace provided me? I don't know but now the others know about me. I knew that this was going to happen I just didn't think it would be this soon.

'7 years...7 long years I never told another person about my secret. How could I? Most people would think I'm some sort of demon or monster and kill me on sight. I couldn't just tell them about my secret, I know that their dragon people, but I know for a fact that they never seen a person that can change into a dragon. What I am isn't possible but that my grandmother for you, somehow making the impossible possible. She tries to save my life and, in the process, somehow changes her only grandson into a dragon. I would have been alone if it wasn't for my Sire and Dam and the others on that island. I miss them so much.'

Then I began to laugh. "It's embarrassing that a total stranger treated me more like a father figure than my actual one. I thought for a long time that that was normal, for a father to treat his own like a waste and talk down to them. But that was before I met my mentor and then Sire."

Then I remember something.

_I walk through the hallway to find my mother's room, I found her room she was reading letters from the other tribes, I called to her, "Mom."_

_She turned around facing me, "Yes Ronde."_

_I was uneasy trying to say this, but I needed someone to talk to about this, "I tried so hard to impress father yet...no matter what I do it never enough for him," then I looked towards the ground. "And now that I'm learning to be a warrior in this group everyone is avoiding me and calling me names such as a waste of a person among other things. What did I do wrong? I never met these people before so why are they being so mean to me?"_

_She looked hurt and then got on her knees to be at my height and began rubbing my face gently and said, "I'm sorry to hear that Ronde, the situation with your father is...difficult to explain, he just wants you to be better than him. I know that this is hard to believe but he is very proud of you."_

_I didn't want to seem rude, but I sighed and told her. "Mother please don't lie to me just to make me feel better, he never tells me how proud he is of me. All he does is talk down to me and tried to hurt me during training."_

_She looked even sadder and told me, "I don't understand the mindset of your father when it comes to making you a better person, I will say that. But know this Ronde he just trying to prepare you for the world."_

_I didn't believe her. Not once that I can remember out of the 8 years, I've lived he ever told me that he was proud of me._

_Then she spoke again, "The situation with the other kids...I was afraid of this happening to you."_

_I looked at her confused, "What do you mean?"_

_She refused to look at me and said, "Do you remember the Raid we did to tried to get rid of the Dragons?"_

_I nodded, "Yes how could I forget, father wanted me to come so I could 'witness history'."_

_"You know how many people lost their lives that day right?"_

_I was terrified just remembering that. "Yes...once that Giant 6 eyed dragon came out there was..." I paused trying not to remember the bodies, "I've seen it all."_

_"A lot of people died during that battle and so some of their kids were orphaned and left alone and had to fend for themselves for a while until we found a way to suit all of their needs."_

_I was confused, "What does that have to do with me?"_

_"The kids who orphaned blame your Father what happened to them and they know that you're his son so...they'll try to get to you any way they can." She finally looked at me and said, "Ronde it's better to tell you this now but in the future when you are older...The sins of your father will be yours to _bear_._

.

.

.

"The Sins of my father...and every person before him. That what my mother forgot to mention."

That why I didn't want that responsibility, the lack of free will, the choices that I make can affect others and the illusion of freedom that is too much for me. If I were to be given that mantle, I would have just given it to my uncle he seems more interested.

Call me selfish for running away from my responsibilities even though I can change back to a human and return to my home. But the one thing I never had when I was a child was...

Freedom.

That was Sire and Dam gave me. They taught me how to be free.

No, they didn't believe my story but they took care of me, they told me stories, they made me feel better when I was depressed and they wanted me to be at my best.

Sire my adopted father told me he was proud of me.

.

.

.

Me_ and Sire used a net from my ship to capture and carry a lot of fish back to our island. With the help of Sire's friend, the net was easier to carry._

_We managed to carry the net full of food to the middle of the island. "I can't believe we captured so many! And you used to do this all the time?" Sire yelled._

_"Yes," I answer, "my people used to use our ships and nets to capture huge amounts of food all the time when we were low on rations."_

_"Well, I guess those... 'people' have some uses after all." Then he looks at the net full of food the back to me, "Thank you little one, because of you we have enough food for everyone on the island to last us for 2 sun cycles. This was you're doing and I'm very proud of you."_

_I paused because I was shocked by what he just told me. I couldn't move, I was filled with so much emotion that I didn't know what to do. Then I began to cry._

_Sire was walking ahead and notice I wasn't following him. He turned around to look at me, he was confused. "Little one, I've known you long enough to know that when their streams of water coming out of your eyes means that your happy or very upset, what the matter?"_

_I could barely talk, "I...do...do_n't_...I...mean..." I sighed, "What did you just say?"_

_He looks confused and walks a little closer to me, "I said thank you for helping us getting this food."_

_I shook my head, "No, after that...what did you say after that?"_

_He finally understood where I was getting at. "Little one, I said I was very proud of you for coming up with this idea."_

_I didn't know what to do or how to feel. I began to cry harder after he told me that._

_He looked shocked and ran towards me. "Little one, what wrong? Are you upset that I said that?"_

_I looked at him with my tear-filled eyes. "No...I don't know..."_

_"Little one?"_

_I tried to hold back my tears, but I just couldn't, what is this feeling? I'm happy and upset yet I don't know, I tried to explain my reasons why I was crying to Sire, "All my life I tried to impress my Sire by improving myself. I've learned things for him so he could see how smart I was. I push myself during training with him so he could see how strong I was. But not once he ever said he was proud of me, he only talked down to me. And now you're saying that you are proud of me. Is there something wrong with me? You've only known for a few months...I mean...moon cycles, but what changed between now and then?"_

_This was a new feeling and I didn't know how to deal with it._

_Suddenly Sire began to nuzzle me softly to get my attention. I looked at him and he had a smile on his face. "Little one, if the one you call your sire was never proud of you for what you are and what you've done then there something wrong with him, not you."_

_I was shocked when he told me that._

_"As I said before Little one, you are kind, strong and brave. I don't know anyone around your age group with those qualities and the things that you do impress me. It makes me happy knowing that you are trying to better yourself for your future."_

_I couldn't hold back all of the emotions that I've stored over the years. I weep harder running towards him and hugging his leg. I tried to speak but I don't think he could understand my words through my whimpers. _

_He leans down facing me, "I'm now starting to realize that you might have had a rough life, yet you didn't know because you were used to it. The things you went through might had been hard but you've endured, but the moment you were introduced to encouragement, kindness, and freedom from others you didn't know what to do and how to deal with the feeling of someone wanting you to be happy. I believe that your use to encouraging others but not the other way around. Just look at what you did to my children...no look at what you've done with your brother and sister, you gave them encouragement to do things that were out of there comfort and because of that, they help out with this island as well._

_We lock eyes with one another but I was still crying on his leg, but then he told me, "Look little one, I may not be your actual Sire but I will treat you as if you were my own, don't forget that. I will teach you how to be better at taking encouragement from others and how to be stronger. And one last thing, don't do things just to impress others, do them to make yourself stronger. The only thing that you should impress is a potential mate."_

_We both stared at each other for a moment then we began to laugh. I believe I'm old enough to get that joke._

_I got off of him, "Thank you, Sire...I needed that."_

_He smiled, "Come Little one, we should tell the others about the food we captured."_

_"Ok." For the first time in years I believe...I'm happy. Maybe I can live here among them. Sire treats me better than my father and Dam...no she can't replace my mother, but she is a close second that I can live with. I think I love them as if they were my parents. They want me to be better and the method they use to courage me makes me want to._

_._

_._

_._

'Those days were the best I've experienced in my life. The two and a half years that I spent with them were better than the 10 years I lived in my country...my home.'

The main reason I missed my home is because of my mother. I do miss the others, but I know that they're better off without me.

"I'm getting off-topic I need to focus on Hiccup and the others scent. They don't know that I'm the Chimera Dragon also. So I'll just stay near them until they reach the place where the day of peace is being held."

"I need to be there just to make sure that there safe and unharmed. I just need to see them again one more time. I just want to look at them so I can finally move on, please let them be safe and alive. And please let them come it's only been 7 years, I know a lot can happen during that time be still just let me see them again this is my only opportunity to see my fam-"

"Wait..." I sniff the air. "They're close...Hiccup, Astrid and...Fishlegs? Did they replace me with him? But then again between the twins and Snotlout yeah that was a better choice."

I looked around there was a small island not far. "Over there...yeah, Alright just need to turn invisible then slowly meet them at a distance where their dragons can't sense me.

I slowly adjusted my scales color to match the environment around me and slowly flew towards the island.

* * *

**\- Alright, I think I like doing something like this when I'm updating or announcing something because it gives you something to read about the story while giving you guys updates about this story. In my opinion, this makes it more interesting so I'm doing this from now on but the update. **

**I hope this isn't true but I feel like I turned a bunch of people away from my story because I revealed that Ronde was a dragon even though I've been hinting at it since the second chapter. I'm not sure if it was the way I presented it was the way I wrote it or the circumstances but I put the characters in to reveal it.**

** I don't know and this is why I'm making this update and then an announcement. I need your help even if your a guest, a follower or just a person who's read this far, please tell me in the reviews about, what do you like about the story, what don't you like, are there any potholes that went over my head, what can be improved? And then please tell me what is your reason for reading the story, please tell me in the reviews.**

**My Beta Reader situation has not been fun. I've been contacting beta readers as well as people in the HTTYD community to help me with my story yet out of 20 people only 1 person had responded to me. And unfortunately, she can't help me because she was busy with life which I can understand but no one other than her has contacted me. I don't want to but I'm about to give up on getting a beta reader for the story, I will continue to try so I can improve the story but on the day of 10/4/19 only one person I've contacted me telling me she couldn't do it out of 20 people.**

**Announcements.**

**I have a few, I don't think I have any bad news to share but I'll say this, chapter 18 is almost complete.** School** has been taking most of my time so in a little break that I have, I try to finish up these chapters. But the good news is I have a few days off next week so hopefully by that time I can finish up chapter 18 and during the days I have off hopefully finish chapter 19 as well which might be my second longest chapter in the story. **

**Another thing is I basically have all month of December off of school to finish up these chapters and I'm really hoping but (no promises) I can finish this story. I believe but I could be wrong because I haven't written down the summaries for these chapters but we could be at the halfway mark or a little bit above the halfway mark of this story. And I hope to get this all done around the end of 2019 and the beginning of 2020 but those are my hopes and expectations.**

**Now then the big announcement.**

**Once this book is complete, I am creating a story based on Ronde Origins, it starts at the beginning of his childhood through his adulthood beyond the ending of this book. So basically, it's a prequel and a sequel, however, I'm still deciding on what to do when I get to the point of rewriting this story in that story. I might make summaries based on chapters in this book or I might just skip it entirely I don't know but we'll cross that bridge when we get to that book.**

**I'm doing this because I'm trying to learn something about creating characters. I'm trying to make them more believable and relatable. And I think that's where I messed up on when creating the character of Ronde, I know his motivations and the reason why he acts the way he does. However, I didn't properly explain that while writing about him in the story, what are his motivations? what drives him to do the things that he does? And I think that's why one of my most popular chapters based on The View count is chapter 15 set sail. And that chapter I gave you information about Ronde past, I explained what he went through as a child and with that, I gave you a reason why he's good at combat and why he doesn't like the idea of returning to his home.**

**I also tried to give Ronde father a proper introduction without explaining his past and his motivations. And in your eyes, he might be a horrible father but the speech that he gave Ronde makes you wonder 'why is he really doing this to his son?'**

** I also gave Ronde time to think of a plan to come up with by Saving Hiccup. I did that because during the previous chapters I didn't want my readers to feel like he's coming up with these plans to quickly and feel like this is just another ex Machina. But the fact that I gave him time to explain the reasons for his plan gave the audience a reason to think 'Oh yeah that does make sense'. **

**And the last thing is Ronde's apology towards Astrid during the last portions of the chapter. I know this is the first book I've posted but if you continue reading my work you will know that I like to plant seeds in my story so they can Sprout later. I mention the bog burgers raid during the prologue but Ronde knew about it but during this time in his life, he didn't care about affairs that didn't have anything to do with him or the dragons on his Island. But all of that changed when he met the Dragon Riders. Again however that's part of the reason why he forgot about them, but the moment he remembered about them it was too late they already began raiding the island. And during that portion, he felt guilty and responsible, and he thought if anyone got hurt then he would have felt responsible and guilty because he had the information to prevent that raid, so he tried everything he could to protect them by telling them to escape the island so no one could get hurt. He even risked his Secret to the others so he could protect them. (I know am talking about chapter 14 but I want to explain myself and my character's motivation.)**

**But when Hiccup was kidnaped he felt responsible and try to come up with a plan to get him back. He told Astrid some parts of his life not because he wanted to pass the time what he felt guilty for what he had done to her and try to make it up to her by telling some parts of his past.**

**But if it wasn't clear his motivations are(Ronde will try to do anything to protect those he cares about.)**

**But at the same time his Fears are (getting rejected by someone he cares about.)**

**That why he doesn't want to tell the other about his secret.**

**Boy, that was a lot. Anyway, I still don't know what to call this prequel book but I'll think of it eventually.**

**And if you made this far thank you for giving me a chance to explain myself and characters.**

**Please review this story and let me know how I can approve it. I will continue looking for a beta reader for this story, chapter 18 should be coming out soon.**

**Thank you for your support.**

**PS.**

**I almost forgot to say this while rewriting this but the idea of the Chimera dragon I did makeup without knowing what the game dragons dawn of the new Riders, I have no idea at the beginning of that story that there was a dragon called The Chimeragon to tell you the truth I have no idea if that game is considered Canon to the story or not. But I did come up with the idea of the Chimera dragon by myself without any influence from that game. However, my original design for the Chimera Dragon was completely different it was supposed to be a dragon that almost looks like toothless only with horns Frills in different places and I could stand on two feet. However, I didn't like that idea and I wanted to have a unique looking dragon so I base it off a dragon I've seen on a show called the dragon prince on Netflix. So if you want an idea of what the Chimera Dragon kind of looks like, look up the show and type in the word 'Zym' that's the closest I can describe to you what the Chimera Dragon looks like eventually when I get a new computer I will draw the character design sheets so you guys can get a better idea what he looks like as the Chimera Dragon.**

**Another thing is I updated the previous chapters I did fix some spelling and punctuations errors and made a few adjustments to the word choices I made. But I just informing you now that what happened to the format if it changed.**

**Update 12/6/19, ok next week is my last week of school, after that, I'm going to work on this story throughout my Christmas break. Good news I passed my class with a C- so I don't need to retake this class. Chapters 18 & 19 are done, one of my beta readers is working on chapter 18. but I am having a conversation with this person about changing some aspects of the story moving forward. we are coming to an agreement, there are somethings we still need to talk about but things are moving forward. once this beta reader is done with this chapter I will post it right away. thank you again for being patient with me and please remember I am working on multiple chapters right now but I want the story to be more descriptive of what's going on. I am trying to improve my writing and storytelling but this is my first story that I created and I hope the prequel to this book will be better than this story. right now I'm working on chapter 20 AND I AM WORKING ON A NEW BOOK COVER! I am proud of this one but I need to add more detail to the faces and I need to draw Ronde and find or create a background photo. But that the update ill see you guy later.**


	22. Chapter 18 A Story to Tell

Special Thanks to my Beta Reader TheLoversTheDreamersAndMe for fixing the grammar in this chapter.

* * *

Ronde

I just laid here on the grass right next to their campsite and yet they were all just staring at me. I can already tell this is going to be a long night. But I am tired; I flew all the way here from Berk just by following their scent. But I could tell by their faces that they had questions.

"Before you ask, yesss it'sss me, Ronde. Let'sss not repeat the sssame thing that happened on my boat. I may look different...but it isss ssstill me." My voice was still somewhat the same just a little deeper. I licked my lips and stuttered a moment, trying to lose the dragon-y lisp marrying my words.

Fishlegs looked at me then laughed, "The fact that you continue to call that ship a boat is proof enough it's you for me."

"Whatever," I almost growled. "Anyway I'm tired of following you guyss here's-so whatever you have to ssay pleasse make it quick."

Hiccup was the first to speak, "The one thing I don't understand is how are you able to change into different dragons," he stated, wanting to know more.

"To tell you the truth I don't fully understand how I just can. I can change into only a few species of dragons from the strike and Mystery clases. But I cannot become anything bigger than what I am now or anything smaller than my human self." I smiled a little, happy I was able to get my lisp mostly under control. I haven't talked in this form in a while.

Fishlegs then cut in front of Hiccup before he asked his next question, "Were you born like this?"

I shook my head, "No, I had an accident that involved my father and my dragon friend. I really don't want to get into details, but my grandmother tried to save my life but whatever she did changed me into this."

I turn around and notice how Astrid and Hiccup glance at each other but I decide to say nothing. Astrid took a step forward and asked, "So you were the Chimera Dragon all this time?"

I nervously look away from her, "Yes, I don't believe that there are other dragons that look like me. It was just a side effect of what my grandmother gave me."

She walked a little closer and said: "You saved my life and tried to protect me."

I found the courage to look her in the eye, "Ever since the day I kidnapped you, I felt like I owe you something. I tried making it up to you but I couldn't think of anything. To tell you the truth that was the reason why I stayed in your village. But when the Bog Burglars came to the village and I heard some of the dragons roaring and screeching, I knew that you were in danger. I quickly tried to change and hid around the village just to make sure you guys were okay but then you were surrounded. I warned Stormfly what I was about to do and well...the rest you know."

"That's why you were focused on me?" I nodded.

"Yes."

"And when I was injured you were trying to speak to me."

I looked away from her, "My voice slipped, I was trying to see if you needed help but..."

They all look at me then Astrid walks a little closer. "But what?"

"The moment I saw blood going down your arm and the destruction of Berk and the bodies of the dragons that were tranquilized, I got angry and began to lose myself. I just snapped and I don't really remember what happened next."

They all look at me, confused. Hiccup finally spoke, "You don't remember what you did?"

"Just small moments," I admitted, glancing away from them.

They all look at me with concerned expressions. "Wass it...was I t-that bad?" I ask hesitantly.

They all tried to compose themselves and face me, "You just gave us a little bit of a scare. When you were finished with the Bog Burglars, you were coming for us next."

I was almost shocked but I figured that might have happened if Toothless and Stormfly were trying to calm me down.

"I'm sorry," I mutter.

"Ronde, did you see our letter that we left for you?"

I looked up to see Hiccup asking me the next question, obviously trying to change the subject.

"Yes, I did. That's why I broke out the cage. I thought you guys had already left and I was trying to catch up with you," I answered.

Astrid walks towards me until she's in my face and staring at me with an angry expression.

"Uh, Astrid what are you-"

She suddenly slapped me on the snout. I yelp in surprise.

"That's for lying to me all this time," she snaps. "And that's for destroying the ring!" She punches my cheek.

"And this!" Both her hands fly up. I try to brace myself for the impact, closing my eyes.

But instead of pain, I feel something gentle on my nose and underneath my chin. I open my eyes to see Astrid rubbing her hand on my nose and chin. Then she spoke. "This is to save my life twice and help rescue Hiccup."

Then all of a sudden she was scratching my chin and I couldn't think straight, the feeling on my skin felt so good and then a soft deep rumble appeared deep in my throat. But the moment it starts she removes her hand from underneath my chin. I was slightly irritated because she stopped but it took me a moment to realize what I was doing.

Astrid looks at me confused, "Were you just purring?"

My eyes widened, I was shocked and tried to lie, "N-no I was, uh growling."

Then I notice everyone is looking at me like I grew two heads. "What?" I ask.

"Your uh… your scales are changing colors," Fishlegs said.

"What?!" I look at my body and my purple scales have turned from purple to a pinkish-red. 'Oh no, not in front of these guys!'

Astrid then looks at me, "Is that your way of blushing? That's so cute!"

I feel even more embarrassed. My scales change color to glowing crimson red. The others start laughing.

Yep, that is my limit for today. "Okay, enough! I'm going to sleep! No more questions!" I quickly wrap my wings across my body to shield everyone from my sight and lay down on the grass.

They were all still giggling but I heard Astrid next to me, "Wait, Ronde, two more questions, then I'll leave you alone."

"What?" I nearly growled.

"Can't you change back to your...old self?"

Old self? What is she?…Oh…, "If you're talking about if I can change back to human, then yes I can."

"So why don't you change back and we'll make you a place to sleep in?"

"Well, for two reasons: one I can't change my appearance multiple times in one day. Remember the situation with the Chimera D-" oh right I can't lie or make a story up, "I mean with me and Fishlegs, when everyone was searching for that Night Fury, which was also me?"

"Yes."

"Well, when I was injured, I wasn't faking my condition. I changed at least 5 times during that day. I usually can't change more than 3 or 4 times a day unless I get to rest. But if I push myself too far I can possibly rip apart my insides."

I heard her gasp,

"But then why do you change your body at all, is it painful?"

"Yes, but I've been doing this for 4 or 5 years; I'm used to the pain. Believe me or not and this is going to sound weird but the pain sometimes makes me feel more live."

"What?"

How can I explain this without sounding weird? Oh, I got it! "My grandma told me that every living creature has something called endorphins. People like spicy food because they enjoy the burning sensation in their mouth. That's their endorphins kicking in. Endorphins sometimes give a creature pleasure to reduce the stress of pain that one receives. That's the best way to describe it to you."

She gave me a confused look. "Okay, I think I understand."

This part was going to be embarrassing, "The other reason is...well uh...I don't how to slowly tell you but I don't have any clothes on or with me."

I slightly open my wings so I can see her face. She was blushing. Then she tried to speak, "Oh, so all this time you were..."

"Yes, only as a dragon, I can't just change with my clothes on they'll rip apart or get destroyed," I told her.

"I just thought that..."

"No, I have no choice but to take off my clothes, change, then put them somewhere that only I could find them. Mostly in trees and under boulders. And I left my clothes at the Bog Burglars' island."

"I see," she says while looking away from me.

"Yeah, this is awkward for both of us but at least on the bright side, everything is hidden so you won't see anything, in my eyes. I'm not exposed."

"I didn't need to hear that so goodnight!" She said quickly and walked towards her tent and went inside.

I couldn't help but laugh. Now she knows I felt after she made me purr. But that feeling wasn't bad, it's just I hate being treated like an animal or pet. If it was just me and her I wouldn't have been embarrassed but Fishlegs and Hiccup were watching and my scales changed color to add insult to injury. But that feeling reminded me of Kindle.

"Kindle." She doesn't know that I was human when we first met but she made me feel less like a dragon and more human. She knew I was smarter than the average dragon, and she knew that I could understand her every word and yet she kissed me on my snout when I helped her with training. Why did she? Did she know I was human or was that her way of thanking me? I didn't know how to talk then but she still gave me a chance to express myself.

I hope that I'll see her again and that she's free from any of the men on her island that didn't believe in her. I think I finally have the courage and words to ask her. Could she be...my...

I just want to tell her that... she's so beautiful.

And I...miss her every day.

Astrid

The sun is shining, the birds are chirping and something is very close to my tent. I get out of my bed and see a shadow at the entrance of my tent. I go out to see what it is. It is Ronde at the entrance, still a dragon, asleep. 'Weird. He was over in the middle; why did he come over here?' Then I see it, his body was protectively wrapped around Stormfly as she was asleep as well.

I tried walking him up, "Ronde, it's morning. Time to wake up." When I place my hand on his cheek, his eyes snap open. They are slits and he had the same look when attacking the Bog Burglars. He then looks up at me, teeth bared out. I was scared until I realized he was just yawning.

"Oh, good morning, Astrid. What's wrong?"

"No-nothing. You scared me, that's all."

"Oh, sorry," he said while rubbing his eyes. "Why are you up so early anyway?"

"Oh I heard the birds, the sun was shining on my face through the tents and I saw your shadow. What's Stormfly doing over here?"

He looks over towards Stormfly and says, "It was getting a little cold out here so she decided to share her warmth with me."

I look over towards him then Stormfly. He has his wing covering her and I look at him with one eyebrow raised. "Share warmth? Are you sure? You look a little protective to her." I was joking when I said this. "You don't have a thing for Stormfly, do you?"

He looks at me with an unamused expression and walks towards me, "I know that you're just joking but let's not start that. I already have someone in mind to be more than just friends and when I see her I hope she can accept me. But no I don't have a thing for your dragon, we're friends."

It slipped out but I said, "Is that person Kindle?"

He was quiet and just stared at me with an almost hurt expression, "I'm...going to go and get some food. Wake up the others so we can get a move on."

I didn't even have a chance to say anything before he walked away from me and then flew off towards the sky. 'Did I go too far with him?'

A few hours later, we began our journey again. On our way to the next island to rest, Ronde was somewhat far behind us flying. It seems like he wanted to stay away from us until we landed. But is this because of me?

Hiccup notices Ronde was far behind us and then he asks, "What's wrong with him?

"It might have something to do with what I said to him this morning," I responded.

"What did you say?"

I look back towards Ronde, "Something I shouldn't have, Guys I'll be back."

I signaled Stormfly to slow down so we could be next to Ronde. She tilted her wings to slow down her speed and then we were next to Ronde. He didn't even acknowledge that we were there next to him.

I try calling him, "Ronde."

He didn't respond or even look at me.

"Ronde, please."

Still no response.

I am about to give up when Stormfly squawks something to him. He looks over and growls something back at her.

They were going back and forth, squawking and growling at each other. It took me a moment to realize that they were communicating with each other!

After a few minutes of these two growling at each other, he finally looks up at me. "Yes, Astrid what do you need?"

I am very confused, "What were you just doing?"

"I was...having a deep conversation with Stormfly." He says a low monotone voice.

"May I ask about what?"

He hesitates but tells me, "Maybe later, right now I just want to focus on following you guys to the next island."

"Okay," was all I could say. The conversation that they were having was probably about me. But whatever Stormfly had said made him want to talk to me. I want to talk to him a bit more.

"What's it like?" He looks at me.

"What are you talking about?" he asked, confused.

"What's it like being a dragon?"

He looks down towards the ocean. "It's only fun when you're around people that you know. The 7 years that I was a dragon were better than the 10 years I spent with my family." I notice he has a slight smile on his face. "The fun parts are flying high in the sky, or meeting new friendly dragons that will accept you into their home or nest. Flying gives me a sense of freedom. Exploring the world around you, going places that would be impossible if you didn't have wings."

His smile disappears.

"There are things and people that I miss but I had to move on. I had to let go just to make the pain of never seeing my home or family again to stop. And now I have accepted that I may never see them again or at least know they'll never accept me for what I am."

"I'm sorry, I didn't know."

"Don't be, it's just how I lived all these years."

I notice that when he gets comfortable around me he says something deep or emotional. He didn't need to tell me about what he had to let go of. I think he trusts me more out of anyone, he did tell me that he was going to reveal his secret to me. But maybe he just likes to vent to me but he's becoming more and more talkative now than before. I wonder, however, did he read my side of the letter?

A few hours had gone by, it was close to getting dark but we managed to find the next island. We found a small lake and decided to set up camp there. Ronde did help out with firewood and food but after he was done he sat at the edge of the lake and just stared at his reflection. I wanted to talk to him but now isn't the time, I think he just needs some space.

The rest of us just set up the tents and made a camp. Once we were done we made a campfire and we all sat around it.

"Well, now what?" Fishlegs asks.

"I don't know, it's barely night time yet." Hiccup responds. "Ronde managed to capture plenty of food for everyone and there's nothing else to do."

"So we just sit here until our food is cooked in the fire?" I recommend it.

"We could tell stories or something," Fishlegs suggested.

I noticed Hiccup's eyes were wide as if he had an idea, "Fishlegs you just reminded me of something."

Then he looked towards the lake where Ronde was and yelled, "Hey Ronde, come here for a minute."

I looked over to see him coming towards us, but I noticed he was slightly hesitating as he was walking towards us. "Yes, Hiccup?"

"I never did tell you the story of how we defeated Drago did I?"

That got his attention, he moved closer towards us and laid down beside the fire. "No, I believe you didn't."

Hiccup then tried to get comfortable because he knew this might be a long story to explain. "Well, Ronde, sit back because this is a tale that all of us need to share."

"Wait."

Everyone then looked at Ronde, "I want to know the events that lead up to that point. So if you could please start at the beginning where Berk first accepted dragons, or tell me the story of how you first met Toothless that led up to Drago's defeat."

We all look at each other and smile. "Well Ronde, you're in for a story."

Ronde

They told me Berk's story of how dragons were first accepted as equals. It was almost the same way that my father did it, only theirs cost them Hiccup's foot. That day we lost over 100 men and women. I was intrigued, however, by how Hiccup and Toothless met and how Astrid reacted to their friendship at first.

Hiccup's father sounded like a man who was broken and blamed the dragons for everything, but I can see why he thought that the dragons killed his wife. But he did take a chance when rescuing Toothless from drowning. 'His father had changed, while mine...stayed the same.'

They also told me how difficult it was to make some of the people of Berk to trust the dragons because of some old man but I wasn't listening to those parts.

They then found something called a Dragon Eye that had secrets about dragons but they decided to destroy it so people like the Dragon Hunters couldn't find them. But what shocked me the most was their encounters with Krogan and a man named Viggo who at the last moment of his life tried to redeem himself.

The last part of their story was when Hiccup tried to find Drago to convince him about dragons. That was very stupid of him.

"You can't convince evil to be good, most of the time when people try to do that someone ends up dead," I said out loud. I noticed his facial expression changed when I said that. I soon realized why when he continued his side of the story. He found his mother, or rather she found him. Shortly after the family had reunited, Drago's army attacked the Alpha's nest, and his Bewilderbeast killed the Alpha. Drago took control of all the dragons, and headed to Berk. Hiccup and the crew flew back on baby Scuttleclaws. Hiccup regained Toothless' attention, and Toothless challenged the new Alpha. Long story short, he won, Drago died, and the Bewilderbeast disappeared into the ocean.

"I can't believe it's already been 7 months since that incident," Hiccup said once he finished the tale.

"So that's how I knew I sensed something when I first saw you to\wo in the sky. When Toothless roared to tell me to stop I felt something familiar." I responded.

Hiccup eyes begin to widen, "That reminds me, that day when you came to our island, you were able to ignore Toothless because of your human instincts, right?"

I tried to think of a way to explain easily. "I believe that's part of it. The impulses that I have are from my dragon instinct, although sometimes I can't control them even when I'm human. However, I still have my intelligence from my human side and that side is always dominating unless I am dealing with extreme pressure or emotion. But the call of an Alpha cannot affect me, only give me a slight headache."

"So, wait."

I turned towards Fishlegs, "Can you talk to and understand our dragons?" Before I had a chance to respond, Hiccup cut me off.

"Astrid told me that you can communicate with them but you couldn't talk to them."

I was slightly embarrassed, "I wasn't telling the full truth. I can't talk to them when I'm human, but I can understand what they're saying. I can talk to them when I'm a dragon."

"Wait, you can understand our dragons?!"

"Yes, the best way I can describe it is that the sounds a dragon makes are filtered through my head and I can make it out to words I can understand."

I looked over towards Toothless. "It was Toothless that gave me the courage to speak to you guys while I was that Night Fury."

"That's amazing, you could be the key that could bring all humans and dragons together."

"Maybe..." I hated that idea, I don't think that is possible in the current time that we live. There is so much hate on both sides.

I noticed that everyone was staring at me. "What?"

"Well, it's not too late in the day and we were hoping that you can tell us a story."

I growled very low. "You expect me to tell you a story about my past just because you told me yours?"

They all looked disappointed.

"But you have inspired me with that tale of yours, so I'll tell you guys this."

They all looked surprised but they gave me their attention, "I am positive that some of you read or at least heard some of the stories within my diary."

Fishlegs looked guilty but I continued. "There's no point telling the story about why I ran away, however I will tell what happened after that."

Astrid then spoke up. "Wait, are you going to tell the story about the 3 days you spent trying to leave your home?"

"Yes, I am."

"But we heard about that story."

"Yes, you all did, however, there is more to that story that I didn't put in my diary and I couldn't say."

They all gave me confused looks, "Before I tell this story, I want to say this. Fishlegs, you read my diary and journal entries. I'm more than positive that you were wondering why I was being extremely vague."

He nodded.

"Well, after I wrote my first entry, I wonder what would happen if someone found this book. They would destroy it because they thought that the person who was writing it was insane. I knew that if I wrote about how I was a dragon, they would just destroy the book or kill me if I found some way to be human again."

I looked up towards the night sky. "The locals of the island I arrived at were dragons, not people."

Everyone gasped. I looked towards Astrid.

"Do you remember why I said I was surprised that I could understand them? That was the reason why it was the first time I met other dragons while I was one. I knew when I was a boy that dragons were intelligent but the fact they can communicate with one another just blew me away."

"So when you were 10 you were raised by these dragons on that island."

"Yes, and no. I was raised by two dragons and their children. The rest would sometimes play with me or train me. Those two dragons adopted me when I had nowhere else to go. They fed me, they would teach me things and tell me stories. They even would try to make me happy when I was feeling down. They became my adopted father and mother, my Sire and Dam. They like to be called that."

"So that time when Stormfly woke you up, you called her Dam. Was that the reason?" Astrid asked.

"Sort of, my adopted mother and father were Nadders and Stormfly somewhat looks like my Dam."

"Wow."

"At first it was difficult. They wouldn't believe me when I told them that I was human. My Sire thought that my dragon parents were killed and humans must have raised me, and I'd never seen another dragon. My Dam just thought that I was delusional."

"Why couldn't you just change back to your human self?" Hiccup asked.

"Because during that time I didn't know how or if it was possible. I just wanted to live somewhere safe, away from my home, until I found a way to survive as a dragon if I couldn't turn back."

"But you found away you were human when you came to our island."

"Yes, I did but that is a story for another time." That story is very uncomfortable to explain. How could I forget the huge scar on my chest?'

"Anyway, despite that they didn't believe me, they still raised me and taught me how to be a dragon. My Sire taught me how to fly and hunt, my Dam would give me inspiration and advice to make me feel better. But one morning my parents discovered something about me."

"What was it?"

"That I might have abilities similar to other dragons. I was very upset that morning because there was no food. Everyone was busy and I didn't know what to do. I was irritated because I was hungry and argued with my Sire and told him that at least my human parents would feed me. And then he asked me: 'The same humans that tried to kill you because you are the way you are?! They sound like the perfect parents for you!' I almost snapped but he looked at me with fear. He was worried and shocked. I was still angry but his facial expression scared me. I said sorry and asked him why he was looking at me like that. And he told me that I was on fire."

Fishlegs was confused, "Wait, on fire? Like a Monstrous Nightmare?"

"Yeah, it was a very strange feeling the first time. I felt the heat around my body but it didn't burn. I never experienced something like that before and I didn't know how to turn it off, so he took me to a Monstrous Nightmare to see how to stop it from happening. I had to be careful. I was on fire throughout my body and I could have set the forest ablaze. But we managed to find one of his friends. Sire's friend then threw me into a small puddle of water and told me to calm down, and it worked. The Nightmare then helped me with my abilities. He was impressed that a different species of dragon could have the same abilities similar to his. So he trained me for a few days to get my abilities under control, but again, it happened."

"What happened?"

"I discovered that I could change the color of my scales, like a Changewing, I could copy a dragon's firepower too, among other things."

"Just like what your book said."

"However, it took me 3 years to find out that to copy the abilities of a dragon I have to make contact with them, but it is very limited based on my physical abilities. I can't spray acid like a Changewing."

Hiccup's eyes widen, "That's how you changed into the brown-eyed Night Fury?"

"Yes, but like I said, I can only change into a few species, not all of them."

"Tell us what you can turn into," states Fishlegs

"Well...I do prefer to stay like this." I had to pause for just a moment to gather my thoughts, "This form is what I'm used to. But I discover that I can change into a Sand Wraith, a Monstrous Nightmare, a Razorwhip, and now a Night Fury.

I looked around at the group in front of me, wondering why they even cared this much about me. Is it because I'm a dragon or is it because of my abilities? I lied to them, they are trying to be friendly towards me. But I continued talking. "It was hard at first trying to get my abilities under control but I've learned throughout the years."

"Ronde."

I looked over towards Astrid but didn't say anything, just waited for her question.

"When you were in our village...were you...suffering because you couldn't change? That day you said that you were paranoid, was it because of...this?" She gestured toward me.

I couldn't help but slightly grin. 'I know I keep saying this but why does she remind me so much of Kindle? Astrid and Kindle are the closest people I can consider a friend. Yet my hopes of finding Kindle are small.

"Like I said before, it was my choice to come back to your village to face my punishment for kidnapping you. Hiccup gave me a slap on the wrist but I felt like I needed to be punished further, so I told myself that I would ground myself and not change my appearance. But I broke that vow the first and second night that I got there."

Hiccup looks confused. "How?"

"During the night with the freezing rain, I was going to die. I needed to change but in the middle of my transformation your dragons came to help me. That's why my shirt was stretched."

"Yeah, I knew something was up when you said that," Hiccup said. "Our dragons have smooth scales."

"A necessary lie to make sure my secret wasn't discovered," I responded. "The second time it happened was when I slept inside The Great Hall. I was having a good dream about my childhood. Sometimes it happens in my sleep when I'm too happy inside my dreams or when I'm having a very stressful nightmare. I sometimes cannot control it."

"So that's the story of The Great Hall being cleaned."

"Yes." I looked up towards the night sky. "It's getting late. We should get to bed so we can arrive at the Day of Peace event.

Goodnight to you all." I got up and went back towards the edge of the lake. I just stared at my reflection in the water. I liked to see myself. How much did I change over the years? Not just physically but mentally, how much is left of the boy who ran away all those years ago? My instincts didn't take over, but what is left to give to those who knew me? "What am I?..."

"You know."

I startled at the voice. I didn't even hear Astrid sneaking behind me. Or maybe I was just focusing too much on the water. Either way, she scared me enough to make me jump. "Astrid?"

She continues. "You never did answer my question."

I tried to regain my composure. "I did answer your question, Astrid."

"Not really. But were you?"

"Why does it matter what I say?" I was already beginning to get irritated.

"Because I want to remember what you say right now." That line caught me off guard and I stumbled over my words.

"M-my op-opinion doesn't matter, only my actions do."

She stared deep into my eyes for a couple of moments and said, "So that's why."

I was confused. Why is she doing this anyway?

"We need to talk privately. Come on, let's go in the woods."

I was dumbfounded.

"Why? I have nothing to say."

She looks back toward me and points one finger at me, "You're lying."

'She knew? How?'

"By your shocked face, you're probably wondering how I know you're lying."

I just stared at her, waiting to see what she was going to say, "You change the tone of your voice when you're lying. Just slightly monotone as if you weren't giving any energy to your voice. It's very noticeable now that you're a dragon. Your voice is slightly deeper."

'This girl...really is something else, and now it's starting to be a real pain. Now I can't lie to her anymore.' I lower my head and close my eyes, "Congratulations, you figured me out, now what?"

"Follow me," she demanded, heading for the forest. I followed behind her.

"Great," I said sarcastically. What does she want? And why is she taking me towards the woods? Is this supposed to be away for me to talk about my past?

After several minutes of walking through the forest, we stopped near the edge of the island where there was a beach.

"Now, then," she begins, "tell me the truth. Why did you stay in our village?"

"What?" Was all I could say at that moment, why does it matter to her?

"You could have changed into a dragon and flew off with the other dragons after the dragon hunters left your island, yet you decided to stay, why?"

"Why does that matter?" I nearly yelled.

She walks closer toward me, "Because your actions don't make sense. Why would you stay with us if you're used to being with dragons?"

My anger was rising and before I had a chance to calm myself down something escaped my control over my mouth, and I roared, "BECAUSE I DESERVEd TO BE PUNISHED FOR WHAT I DID TO YOU!"

Silence. The birds stopped singing, the wind stopped blowing. All you could hear was the ocean in the distance. Astrid took a step back. Her expression was scared.

"Oh no please...don't be scared, I... I'm sorry, Astrid. Please don't-"

"So, that's why," she said, cutting me off.

"Huh?"

She took a step forward, she was closer than she was before. "You felt so much guilt that you would rather take punishment than be free."

My eyes widened and I couldn't think of a response.

"Ronde, I told you that I had forgiven you and now that I know that you are also the Chimera Dragon, you saved my life and risked your own to save everyone in our village and rescue Hiccup. Yet you still feel guilty, don't you?"

I couldn't face her anymore, everything that has happened up till now is my fault. The Dragon Hunters attacking my island, the Bog Burglars' raid and wasting my abilities on the Bog Burglars instead of using them to get Hiccup off the island.

"Ronde?"

"I guess my father was right about me, I am a disappointment," I said out loud.

"Hold on Ronde what do yo-"

"All these past events were because of me. Everything that has happened is my fault. EVERYTHING! My island, your village and Hiccup's kidnapping! All of that was because of me! I don't understand how any of you can even look at me! I am a dragon, a monster, a freak of nature! I lied to you all about me and I'm still not telling you guys the full truth about me, yet you trust me with your lives, WHY!?" Where did this anger come from? I don't mean to yell at her but…

"Because you care about the lives of others."

I almost lost my balance when she said that. "You..."

"Plus, I know for a fact that you don't see yourself that way. You believe that's how we feel about you, but we don't."

'This female...'

"You just said that your actions speak louder than words. Ronde, just think for a second. Every major event that has happened these weeks, you risk your life trying to save others while trying to protect your secrets from saved my life even at the cost of your secret. I don't know anyone with a secret as big as yours and willing to risk exposing themselves to save another person."

She walked even closer to me until she was in front of my face. I couldn't move out of sheer nervousness. What was she doing?

She suddenly was rubbing my snout. "Ronde I do…no, we all forgive you. But can you please forgive yourself?"

"I don't know if I can. What I did is unforgivable."

She sighed and said, "Ronde what is the worst thing you've ever done?"

I gave her a confused look. "Isn't that a little personal?"

She backed away from me and sat on the sand on the beach. "Just tell me."

"Kidnapping you."

She looked irritated. "Okay, what's the second."

I thought for a moment, trying to remember something. Then it hit me, "I blasted off a horn off of a giant six-eyed dragon."

I have never seen a person look so confused, "You did what now?"

"I blasted off the horn of a dragon because she wasn't respecting her nest," I repeated.

"You have some stories to tell."

"Yes, I do but those can wait. Now, what was the point of this?"

"Did the dragon deserve it?"

"Yes, she did," I answered quickly.

"Do you hate yourself for that?"

"No, I did it so she would know her place and not treat her dragons badly."

"You did it for the right cause, to protect others. Ronde, no matter what you do, you try to put others first."

I knew what she was getting at, but the philosophy of what I've been taught in my home still resides in me. What I did was and still is unforgivable, but she forgives me for what I put her through. But maybe I should just let it go. Maybe…

"Alright, Astrid, I understand. Thank you for that. I'm sorry for yelling at you."

"It's alright. If you need someone to talk to, I'm here," she said, walking off.

There was one thing. "Actually there is something I need to talk to you about."

She turns around, "Oh, about what?"

I was slightly uneasy. "About this morning."

"Oh, Ronde, I'm sorry, that was a stupid thing to say about you and Stormfly."

"No, not that, although that was uncalled for and accurate which is why I was irritated."

"Accurate? About you and Stormfly?" she asked, confused.

This is going to be slightly embarrassing, "No, what I mean by that is that it is possible for me and Stormfly to..." I can't tell her that! "No, not now, I'm not going to say that, it's too embarrassing. But I was upset when you mentioned Kindle."

She walked a little closer to me, "Why?"

I haven't told anyone this but I need someone like Astrid to tell me something. I sat down on the beach. "Come here."

She sat down near me, "Okay, what."

I took a deep breath and said, "What I'm about to tell you is a secret. No one knows about this, so I beg you, please don't tell the others."

She looked curious but gave me a stern look and said, "I promise I won't tell anyone."

I closed my eyes and began to explain my reasoning, "When I first met Kindle, she tried to kill me and I tried to end her as well. But I couldn't do it, I never killed anyone before and I still don't want to. But the look of fear in her eyes, I felt bad, so I let her go."

"Ronde, you told me this already."

"I know but you should know by now I don't tell the full truth unless it's necessary." I looked at her, "Tell me, do you remember what she had to do to prove that she was a warrior?"

Astrid looked like she was in deep thought but then her face lit up. "She had to kill an intruder or a dragon..." she then looks up at me with pity in her eyes, "You were a dragon when you first met her, weren't you?"

"Yes, I was. At first she thought the reason I didn't kill her was that I didn't see her worthy enough to kill."

"Why didn't;t you just tell her the reason why?"

I sighed. "I couldn't. I didn't know how to talk yet."

"Oh."

"I don't know why but she spared me that night. The next day, I found her on an edge of a cliff just staring at the open sea. I thought I should approach her slowly. She was startled at first but once I showed her that I wasn't a threat, she calmed down. We spent weeks together. I would hide and sleep in a cave and she would sneak off to come to see me. She wanted to practice how to handle weapons but I started to notice that her form and stance were off. I tried to help her. She was confused at first but then she figured out what I was doing."

I looked at the stars above me. "She inspired me to learn how to talk while I'm a dragon. It took a while to properly adjust my vocal muscles but I figured out a way."

I looked over to see Astrid smiling at me. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"This sounds like the beginning of a love story."

"In some ways it is, I do like her but..."

"But what?"

"I don't know if she likes me the way I like her. I mean, look at me. I'm a dragon, and I'm sure that what she saw me like that as well. But she knew that I was very intelligent for a dragon and knew that I could understand her. She even kissed me on the nose when I helped her with her training, but if I ever get the chance to see her again, will she see more then what I look like?

"Ronde..."

"I was upset because you reminded me that I am very different from this girl. I know that I can change back but she won't see me the same way. She might not even like me."

Astrid was silent.

"Astrid, I need your opinion on this. Do you think that I have a chance with her?"

Astrid just looks at me with sympathy. "I don't know what to tell you. I never met this girl so I can't give you my opinion on this matter."

'So, that's a no. Of course, maybe it was too much to hope for.'

"But if what you say is true, if I remind you of her, I would at least give you a chance to explain yourself."

I was shocked, "Y-you would?"

"Yes, I would like to hear an explanation from a talking dragon to know how or why it could talk."

"I guess you're right."

"But she knows that you're kind, smart, and resourceful. I'm more than positive she will give you a chance." She looks over towards the open ocean, "Love is…weird and complicated but it always finds a way. If she does feel the same way about you, she would look past the fact that you're a dragon. Plus, you told me that you can turn back to a human, and you're not that bad looking."

"Maybe...wait a minute did you just call me handsome?"

"No, I said you're not hard to look at, unlike Snotlout."

I couldn't hold in a laugh and completely lost my balance and landed on my back on the sand. "Thank you again, Astrid, I did need some closure."

"It's alright. Let's head back towards the campsite."

We walked through the forest back to the campsite. Astrid went inside her tent and I stayed near the middle by the campfire.

'I thought that they'd reject me but they are trying to help me. I don't understand their kindness towards me but I'm grateful for it. But they did tell me in the letter how that felt about my secret. I pulled it out to read it again.

Wow, this hasn't happened to us before, but before I have to write what I have to say just let me say this, thank you, Ronde, for rescuing me even if you think that I don't trust you now I do. Now that I know the reason why you were so secretive. I understand why you didn't want to tell anyone. You are afraid that we would judge you and banish you, but we would never do that to you. We are shocked and confused about how this happened or how this is even possible, but we won't judge you. By the time you're reading this, I should be heading towards The Day of Peace. I don't know when I'll come back but you can come with us if you want. The cage you are in should be open. We put you in there because we didn't know where else to put you. By the way, Only I, Astrid and Fishlegs know about your secret. My mother didn't believe me but we didn't tell anyone else.

-Sincerely, Hiccup-

Look, I'm not good at this but you risked so much for us and I wanted to say thank you for rescuing Hiccup and everything else you have done for us. Ronde, you told me that you might leave our village once this rescue was over. But please don't leave just because of this incident. I saw the way you look at us when you reveal yourself and you look worried. Ronde, we are not scared of you, we're just shocked is all, but I don't want this to be another reason for you to leave. We trust you. All this time when we were asking you questions about your past is because we were trying to understand you. I hope you can come with us to this meeting but I don't know when you'll wake up. Just please don't leave because of this, I hope to see you soon.

-Your friend, Astrid-

I still don't understand why they're not scared of me, but I'm glad for their naivety or maybe it's just their friendliness. I guess I'm happy that they can accept me like this. Maybe it was a good thing that I forgot about the Bog Burglars. It was probably for the best to reveal my secret in the way it happened rather than telling Astrid. At least tomorrow I should be able to put my past behind me if they come.

Wait a minute...The Bog Burglars took Hiccup a few days before this event, that can't be a coincidence. If the leaders were only invited, Bertha would be coming, but she would only have told the higher-ups so the people within her island shouldn't have known. But the Bog Burglars are working with the Dragon Hunters and they work for the Warlords.

The Warlords must have heard of this in the event and placed a bounty on Hiccup to take him away from Berk. And if he was captured during the Day of Peace, there would probably be repercussions for the village. That means that the Warlords might be there during this meeting. Meaning this meeting could be a trap to take Toothless.

I have to tell Hiccup in the morning, right now I need sleep…

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**Please review. I would appreciate your feedback.**


	23. Chapter 19 The Day Of Peace

**Special Thanks to ****DragonWriter0316**** for helping with grammar and fixing some of the ****words in this chapter. it was fun working together with you on this chapter, fixing the mistake I made and adding more detail to certain scenes was fun.**

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Hiccups(POV)

I finished packing and loading the supplies, this was the day of the meeting. I wondered what would happen after this day? Would more tribes come together so they could connect to trade? Or was it possible that we would just make new enemies, I guess only time will tell.

Astrid and Fishlegs were getting ready to leave; however, Ronde was over towards the lake looking at his reflection again. I was wondering why but by the looks of his body language he was nervous about something.

I decided to speak, "Alright everyone, today is the day of peace meeting. We should make it to the place within an hour. However, and I cannot stress this enough, please be on your best behavior, both us and our dragons are representing Berk. We might make new enemies but we also may make new allies as well. But we need to do this for the safety of Berk, so let get a move on."

"Ok," Fishlegs said while packing his stuff.

"Wait."

Everyone turned around to look at Ronde.

He looked nervous but spoke and said, "Before we head out there to face whatever comes our way just hear me out."

"What is it?" Astrid asked.

He looked over toward us and tries to compose himself and said out loud, "I believe it is best if only Hiccup, Astrid, Stormfly, and I should go to this meeting."

"What!? Why?" I asked

"I thought about this last night and I want you all to think about it for a moment: don't you think it's a little strange that the Bog Burglars decided to take Hiccup a few days before this meeting?"

I was wondering what he was getting at, so I asked him.

He looked over towards me and said, "Hiccup, did the message that you received say anything about what would happen if you didn't show up?"

I thought for a moment, "They said if I didn't make it to this meeting, they would attack Berk."

"I was afraid of that. I believe that the Warlords are aware of this meeting and tried to take advantage of it." He had a worried look on his face. "I believe that the Warlords hired the Bog Burglars to take you off your island because they wanted you to pay for interfering with their plans, as well as have you captured so they could use you to teach them how to gain a dragon's trust."

"Wait, what are you trying to say?"

"It's quite possible that this meeting could be a trap or at least a way to observe your power over dragons."

"So why do I need to stay?" asked Fishlegs

"To watch over Toothless. If this is a trap then it is best not to hand-deliver them one of their targets. Meanwhile, Astrid and Hiccup will ride Stormfly to the island and I will act as their bodyguard and if something goes wrong I'll get us all out of there and come back here."

"Are you going to stay the way that you are or change into your...human self?" Astrid asked.

"I need to stay like this, for now, I...need to go like this."

I was about to ask him why but then I remember something back at Berk when we were playing chess.

_("But know this Hiccup, I'm only going there for support I'm not going inside the place," he said in a serious tone._

_"Then why go with me at all?" I asked._

_He didn't answer right away but then he started scratching the back of his head. "It's very complicated but I'll tell you if you promise not to tell the others."_

_I didn't understand how this could be complicated but I guessed I'd hear him out. "Ok, fine, what is it then."_

_"This will answer your previous question but I wanted to see if the King and Queen from my country are there and if so if they are okay."_

_Wait that was it? "I understand but I don't. Wouldn't it be better for you to come inside the place with me to see them?"_

_He sighed, "Like I said it's complicated I'm afraid if I go inside they'll... recognize me.")_

He just wanted to go to see the king and queen from his country. But then why not go inside when he was human? And I was sure that he knew that if he went to this meeting with me the people would possibly be hostile towards the dragons but they couldn't do anything towards us. But again, why did he change his mind about coming inside to the meeting with me as a dragon instead of his human self. And what was the importance of him seeing the king and queen of his country? Who were they to him?

He turned towards Fishlegs, "Fishlegs, is this ok with you? If you want, you can read the remaining portion of my journal to pass the time."

Fishlegs was excited at first, but then he said, "Are you sure? This is your personal information and I don't want to seem rude."

"It's fine. In my journals, I was being very vague because of my situation to begin with. Plus I already told you guys everything last night about the beginning portion of my life on that island, so it's ok."

"Ok, I'll stay here with Meatlug and Toothless."

"Right, Hiccup, you ride with Astrid on top of Stormfly."

"Wait, why can't Hiccup ride on-"

Ronde quickly cut her off and said, "Just because I'm a dragon doesn't mean that I'll let people ride me like I'm some pet. The only time I'll let someone on my back if they're injured, in immediate danger, or if it's a person that I'm...trying to impress..."

His scales changed slightly to a pinkish hue but no one said anything or pointed it out.

His scales changed back to their normal color and then he looked towards me, "That's why I shook you off my back when we were on the Bog Burglars' beach- I still have standards."

I thought I understood his philosophy. When it came to this matter, he saw dragons as equal to humans but he didn't like to be treated as if he was a dragon or the way he saw us with our dragons, as a pet. But we did treat our dragons equally.

"Look, I'll be in the air waiting for you, just please don't take your time, I want this day to be over so I can move on." The moment he said that he flew into the air at a distance where we could see him.

"What does he mean by that, that he wants this day over with? Does that have something to do with us?" asked Fishlegs.

He did ask me not to tell them, but I thought the reason he said that was because it may have something to do with him being a dragon, maybe. But I think they should know. "Ronde told me that the reason he wanted to come to this meeting was because he wanted to see if the king and queen of his country were there."

Astrid looked confused and asked, "Do they have some sort of connection with him or something?"

"He didn't tell me. All he told me was that he didn't want to go inside with me because he was afraid of someone recognizing him. But now that he's a dragon he doesn't have to worry about it, at least that's what I think."

"But they have to mean something for him to have gone this far."

"Guys."

Both Astrid and I gave Fishlegs our attention.

"Ronde just allowed me to read his journal entries. If I find out anything about the connection between Ronde and his king and queen I'll let you know; but right now he is waiting for you two in the sky. Just go-I'll take care of Toothless and Meatlug."

"Is this ok? We're going behind his back to uncover more about him when we could just ask him," Astrid suggested.

"We'll do both," I said while rubbing Toothless's head. "I'll be back bud, don't worry."

"Astrid, I believe he trusts you more than anyone else here. You can ask him that question. Fishlegs, you find as much information as you can in his book. But we should hurry up-I can tell from down here that he is getting impatient."

Astrid and I both got on Stormfly and flew towards Ronde. He had an irritated look on his face when he said, "Does it take that long to say goodbye? We shouldn't even be gone all day- why did you take so long?"

"Sorry Ronde were planning something after this meeting." I heard him slightly growl at that comment but he said nothing, so I continued, "The meeting is less than an hour from here, follow us."

We headed towards the direction of The Day of Peace. Ronde was following right behind us, but that was when I noticed he was in deep thought about something.

A few minutes went by but no one said anything. Ronde was still following us but he was continuing in deep thought about something, but whatever it was it was troubling him. Astrid was the one who eventually broke the silence.

"Hey Ronde, I wanted to ask why did you want to come to this meeting anyway?"

"Oh, I just...needed to see something."

"Something or someone?" she asked.

"I need to see something so I can finally rest easy and put my past fears behind me."

He wanted to see if the king and queen of his home were fine but what did that mean? Was there something wrong with them?

"Is that the place Hiccup?" Ronde asked.

I looked over Astrid to see what he was talking about and then I saw it: an island with a statue of a warrior, but the lower half was the entrance;the docks were connected to the entrance; and there were hundreds of boats around the island and docks.

"We need to be careful about how we approach this island." Ronde said, "You guys go ahead first, they'll see me as a bigger threat if I go down there with you and they may attack us. I'll go invisible and be right next to you guys, if anything goes wrong I'll be there to stop it."

Ronde then looked at me with a series look and said, "Hiccup, when you call me please do not use my real name, just call me the Chimera Dragon like you have been doing up till now. And if it helps your case to convince these savages about dragons being intelligent then you can say how smart I am so they can know I can understand them. But I will not talk to them-I will only nod my head yes or no and make gestures so they know that I can understand them."

I was shocked that he said that, "You'll do that for me?"

"Yes, as long as you don't tell them how to gain the trust of a dragon. That could lead to more wars."

"Ok, Ronde."

As soon as I said that his scales started to blend into the sky. Even though he was next to us it was very hard to see him if at all.

"I'll be right next to you," he said. "You can go down there now, just be careful how you approach them."

Then all of a sudden he made a warbling sound to get Stormfly's attention. After he finished making the sound Stormfly squawked back and flew towards the island.

Before we even landed people were gathering around the docks.

We landed and people pulled out their spears and swords.

"Dragon!" one of them yelled.

"We must kill it now!" another screamed.

We quickly got off of Stormfly and I pulled out my Inferno sword to get their attention. "Whoa easy there. She will not harm any of you," I said.

They all looked shocked when they saw us.

"You brought a dragon to a meeting where every leader across the world is! You came here to destroy this place just like Drago Bludvist didn't you!"

I was about to respond but then I remembered what dad told me before I met mom. He said that during the meeting of Chiefs Drago Bludvist attacked. So, there was a good chance that they believed that I would do the same thing. So, I tried to answer the best way I could. "No, we did not-we were invited here to discuss matters about the archipelago."

"That doesn't matter! You brought a dragon-a weapon-to this place! You have endangered everyone here!"

"Our dragons will not harm you if you don't provoke them."

One of the guard's eyes widen, "Dragons? As in more than one!? Where are the others!?"

"Cease this pointless argument at once."

We all turned around towards the entrance to see an older man wearing a white robe walking towards us.

The group in front of us looked surprised to see him, "Our majesty, these Hooligans have brought dragons into our sanctuary and have endangered this meeting and everyone here."

The older man continued walking towards us, now past the guards. He stepped in front of me and asked, "Tell me, child, who are you and why have you come to this place with dragons?"

"My name is Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third, chief of Berk. I was invited here through this letter." I showed him the letter and then he had a surprised look on his face.

"I see...my children you may go and attend to those who have just arrived. I will stay here and talk to our guests." The guards then lowered their weapons and walked towards the other boats assisting the other Chiefs and Chieftesses.

The older man then lowered his head, "I apologize for the rude introduction, but you must understand-it's not every day that you see someone riding a dragon. We were afraid of another Drago Bludvist incident. My name is Unitatis."

Astrid and I were shocked to see that this man apologized to us, but then he looked up at us with a serious expression and said, "Before I lead you inside I must ask you a few questions before telling you something."

I was almost scared to ask because of the way he was looking at me, but I responded with, "Ok then, what do you want to know?"

"Where is the Chief that was known as Stoick the Vast? I hoping that the rumors were not true."

"They are true, my father is no longer with us."

"I see...I'm sorry for bringing this up. The second question is why would you bring a dragon to this meeting when you know that there would be other Vikings and tribes here who dislike dragons?"

"It's possible to ease the tension between dragons and Vikings-I just need to show them how to better defend against dragons without hurting them."

The man slightly smiled at me, "You youths with your crazy ideas. But I understand you have a goal in mind, so I won't stop you. The last question is that you said dragons as if more than one is going to show up. Are we to expect more dragons to show up?"

"Just one more dragon, this one insisted to come."

"Oh, well where is it then?"

"He's invisible but he should be close," I remembered Ronde asked me not to call him by his name, "Chimera dragon, you can show yourself."

We looked around and we didn't see any signs of him. But then the man suddenly took a step back in surprise looking behind us.

I turned around to see Ronde staring at us.

"I didn't expect this one to be so big Is this dragon tamed?"

"If you are asking if he is going to attack someone, the answer is no-he is not aggressive unless he is provoked. In fact, this one is very intelligent, he can even understand you."

The man looked back to me then turned to Ronde with a look of confusion, "That can't be. How can a dragon understand us, humans? Can it truly understand me?"

"Why don't you ask him?" I said.

He looked shocked, but he walked in front of Ronde despite looking scared-he was very brave. "Dragon...can you understand me?"

Ronde nodded his head.

The man was surprised, "Impossible...how do I know that was not something you taught him."

"He can't talk, but just ask him to do something simple."

"Raise your left paw."

Ronde lifted his left hand.

"Now your right."

He lifted his right hand.

"Now clap your claws together."

Ronde then clapped his hands together 3 times.

"Amazing. Did you teach this dragon?"

"No. As far as I know, he was raised by humans and learned from them."

"Perhaps you can bring dragons and humans together. Please allow me to show you inside. We will find you a place big enough for you to sit with your dragons as well."

We followed the man and he led us through the entrance. As we were walking, those who were still unloading off of their boats stared at us or more specifically, stared at Stormfly and Ronde, and by the look on Ronde's face, he didn't like being stared at.

"Tell me...Unitatis, why did you want to have this meeting in the first place?"

"I will tell everyone that reason when everybody has arrived. And by the look of it, it may take half an hour for everyone to get here and get settled."

He led us inside, and this place was huge: thrones were in a giant circle, a huge fireplace was in the middle, and there was a second floor as well. There were paintings all over the walls, some depicting various gods while others were of certain species of dragons.

"Wow, this place is amazing."

"We recently had this place built, so there might be stone and rocks were you will be seated at. You may also know that we didn't know that you were going to bring another person with you or dragons for that matter so your space was made for a Viking sized person, so I hope you two don't mind. You both should be able to sit in the same throne."

"That's fine, but what about our dragons? Will there be enough space for them?"

"I do believe that I have a place for you all, but the purple one may be uncomfortable."

He led us to the far end of the room opposite the entrance. There was was a throne in the middle with enough space for both Stormfly and Ronde. But there was one problem... "I don't mean any offense when I say this, but if we sit here we're going to be the center of attention."

"Young one, you have dragons here with you-you were going to be the center of attention regardless of where you sit."

I couldn't think of anything to say-he was right.

"Plus, be thankful this is the spot I am giving to you and your people-this spot was my space after all."

"Why would you..."

"Even though I just met you, I can tell that you have a goal that will bring all of us together and demolish this hate we have amongst ourselves and bring us together. I hope that today will accomplish that. That is why I'm letting you sit here."

"I don't know what to say."

"Just be yourself and please keep your dragons under control. People will try to provoke you today." After saying that, he looked around the room warily.

"We're aware of that."

He smiled, turned around, and began to walk towards the exit, "Good luck young ones."

Everyone then tried to settle down around the throne: there was enough room for both me and Astrid to sit down next to each other, Ronde sat down on his hind legs on my left, and Stormfly was on Astrid's right.

"Sometimes I wonder if you're trying to get yourself killed..."

I looked over to see Ronde with his eyes closed, but he was talking, just very low so no one could hear him.

"Don't look at me before people get suspicious Hiccup..."

I turned my gaze toward the front, but I did want to know what he was talking about. "What do you mean?"

"You don't need to tell him everything about why you are here and lie about my origins; you could have said that your village raised me..." he sighed, "You are very lucky that that man and his followers are from the Ensemble clan."

"The what clan?"

"My father told me that there is a clan of religious people called Ensemble. I believe it means Together-they are a very peaceful and powerful clan. They seek ways to bring people together in the pursuit of peace. But while searching for the answers, they realize that some people only know peace through conflict in wars. Because of this, they have powerful people, weapons and armies just in case something or someone disrupts the peace..."

"How do you know that?"

"My father was on a search himself to find out ways to bring peace and prosperity to my home and he happened to come across these people as well. He told me that they always wear white clothing to symbolize their purity and their leader wears a white robe to imply his power and to show he is the purest member of the clan. My father called that person the Man in the White Robe. I don't know if this is the same man that my father met but that's all I know."

"I see."

"You have company by the way..."

I looked over to see what he was talking about to see a very big woman walking towards us.

"Well, well, well look what we have here. So the rumors were true after all."

"Do I...should I know you?"

She smiled, "No, but your chief did when he was around your age."

"You knew my father? Who are you?"

"Your Stoick's son?" She then examined me, "I can see it in the hair and eyes but that's it. You look too skinny to be Stoick's son. Did he not feed you enough?"

Before I had a chance to respond she began laughing, "I'm sorry. Anyway, my name is Bertha, the Chiefless of the Bog Burglars my young friend."

I stood up to face her,"Your the chief of the people who nearly destroyed our village and kidnapped me!?"

She was confused, "What are you talking about? I would never order my men and women to kidnap someone...this month."

Astrid stood up and said, "Your men attacked us and severely injured a few of my people."

"It couldn't have been my men. They need the right authorization and my permission. It must have been another tribe, we don't have any hatred against Berk. We may be rivals, but we wouldn't do that, that's pushing the boundaries too far."

I could tell by her voice that she was telling the truth. "It was your men, they told us themselves."

She seemed irritated now. "Like I said before, it couldn't have been my men-they need the authorization from me and I didn't tell them to do anything of the sort to Berk. It must have been another tribe that hates us and is trying to push our two tribes into war and they know that we will lose because of your dragons. But if you think you're so sure that it was us, which of my men did it?"

"What?"

"Give me the name of the Bog burgers."

I was confused about what she was asking me. Then I heard a whisper behind me.

"...The Mist Tribe..."

It was Ronde, I didn't turn around to face him but I was pretty sure he just gave me the answer. So I said, "The mist tribe?"

Bertha was shocked and after a few seconds, she was furious, "THOSE LITTLE SCOUNDRELS! THEY WENT BEHIND MY BACK JUST TO APPEASE THOSE WARLORDS WITHOUT MY PERMISSION! AND THEY COULD HAVE RISK A WAR!"

She then calmed herself down, "My daughter is the only person that could have done this. Camicazi is the only person that can forge my signature. And she didn't care about what happened to your village. She and her subordinates will face punishment for this!" Bertha then faced me, "I'm sorry young chief that this has happened to you. I know that an apology isn't enough for my people's actions, but this is all I can do. Our village is very low on currency so we'll take any job necessary to help keep us stable, which is why I'm here-I'm hoping to connect with a few tribes so we can trade goods and services."

"It's fine, it's over, and we're here now."

"Did you capture any of my men?"

"Yes, an incident happened and most of their boats were destroyed-they had nowhere else to go, so we captured them."

"Did you punish them?"

"Only those who didn't have severe injuries helped us build a few houses while under surveillance. The others are being treated for their wounds."

"I see. If you could please let them go and allow for me to deal with them whenever you return to your home."

"It might be awhile; we probably need to build them a new boat big enough for all of them so they can return home."

"You can let them swim back home if you like-you don't have to be so forgiving to those who disobey orders."

"You will probably have them back in a week's time after this meeting."

She turned around and began walking away from us. "Do what you will, just please return them home so I can punish them myself."

I turned around to sit back down on the throne. "That went well," I said.

"So, you believe her Hiccup? Was everything she said the truth?" Astrid asked.

"I believe so. When they captured, me they told the guards not to tell their leader Bertha. I do believe that the Bog Burglars went behind their leader's back to capture me."

"How long do we have to wait for this meeting to begin?"

"20 minutes maybe?

**_(30 minutes later)_**

The place was filled with people from all over the world. These people were the leaders of each island, country, and nation. This was a spectacle to witness, but as I feared we were the center of attention, or, at least Ronde and Stormfly were.

Unitatis took center stage and was ready to speak. "Good evening ladies and gentlemen, kings and queens, Chiefs and Chieftesses. My name is Unitatis and I will be your host today for this meeting. Some of you are wondering why I have summoned you all here for this meeting. Well, I'm here to tell everyone to come together and put aside your anger and frustration at one another. For us to evolve we need a solution to dissipate this hatred we have amongst ourselves. So, I chose those whose names are considered to be the strongest amongst the world when it comes to Power, Authority or rumors circulating throughout our archipelago. I know that I threatened many of you to come but please be considerate and understanding as to why I believe that there's a crisis coming. And if we don't stop it now, the future of our homes will not not be safe for our kids and the generations to come.

"So I'd like to start with-"

"HOLD ON!"

Everyone turned around to see a Viking.I could see his face but he continued to scream, "If you are talking about problems, let's start with the dragons!" He pointed towards us. "For decades we have been dealing with dragons raiding us, destroying our homes, stealing our food, and killing our livestock! Yet you allowed those Hooligans to step inside here with those monsters!"

Unitatis looked unimpressed and asked, "Excuse me if I sound rude, but who are you again?"

"My name is Mogadon, leader of the meatheads tribe! Why did you allow them here!? You know as well as everyone else what happened last time the bunch of Chiefs came together and Dragons were involved: no one escaped."

He got up from his throne and started walking towards us. "You have no right bringing these demons into this place! And-!"

The man was suddenly frozen with fear and I wondered why. He was looking in our direction, so I turned around and I saw Ronde giving this man a serious death stare. Even from this angle, I could see why he was afraid.

The man finally spoke, "Im-Impossible-your-that dragon that escaped during our trial... aren't you?"

Ronde then suddenly picked up a stone that was the size of a human head, Mogadon's head to be exact, and crushed it in his hand reducing it to dust. Mogadon looked terrified, and I could not blame him. After all, Ronde had just given him a death stare and was now threatening him. I let out a slight chuckle, but Mogadon's face remained unmoving.

Unitatis began to laugh, "I'm no dragon expert, but I think that is his way of saying 'be quiet or I'll crush you.' I like this dragon. Guards, help this man back to his seat and keep him an eye on him."

Two guards came from the entrance and grabbed him by his arms and dragged him back to the place he was sitting before his outburst. "No, you don't understand! That dragon isn't what it seems to be! It tricked us into releasing all of our dragons to train our young. It dangerous!"

"It seems that the only dangerous thing here is your manners. I've allowed them to be here as my guests, I don't sense any malice from these dragons, and, believe me, I have dealt with a few dragons trying to kill me. But I see something unexpected from this one." He pointed towards Ronde. " If I would have sensed any killer intent from them, they would not be here right now."

Ronde only looked at the Unitatis for a second before returning his attention to the Vikings leader of the Meatheads. He closed his eyes and slightly lowered his head. It seemed that he didn't have any interest in this meeting at all.

"Alright, with that out of the way, let the day of peace begin."

Ronde(POV)

I couldn't care less about these people and their problems. I knew what this guy was trying to do, but this isn't the way to obtain peace among people.

Peace wasn't possible during this day and age and I didn't think it was possible at all. There will always be someone on top with everything and people on the bottom with nothing. For peace to exist, there has to be a balance of power between everyone or people must fulfill a certain role to maintain order.

But this wasn't my responsibility. The only thing that mattered was the reason why I came. I opened my eyes to look around, and the leaders were talking to each other about trading. I looked around to see if I could see the people I was looking for. I looked at the first and second floors but I didn't see them. Was it possible that they didn't come? If I knew him correctly, he wouldn't pass an opportunity like this to show off his power or authority to other people.

I continued to look around and didn't see any familiar faces, so I almost gave up.

Until, I saw some that looked to have a darker complexion than most of the others here, almost similar to mine...could it be?

I looked closely at the guy. He's not the person I was looking for, but he did look familiar somehow. By his attire, I could tell that he was from my country, but why does he look familiar? Unless...no that couldn't be my mentor could it? Did he manage to climb the ranks and made the king's guard? It was the beard that threw me off for a moment, but that was him. Good for him. Now, where are the others?

I looked around the area were my mentor was and I saw them right behind him, and they were safe and healthy. They looked the same way they did seven years ago.

My mentor looked over in my direction; he was staring at me before quickly adjusting his gaze. No, they don't know that it's me. Even if my grandma told them, they wouldn't know that I was here.

I glanced over to see if he was still staring at me. He was, but then his gaze shifted to the next speaker. Good, he doesn't have any interest in me.

_**{1 hour later}**_

Hiccups(POV)

The fire in the middle of this place seemed to be dying down. I didn't expect this meeting to be running this smoothly and it seemed to be almost over. It looked like everyone had agreed to certain terms with one another. However, it seemed that no one was interested in us. Was it because they were scared?

Unitatis walked to the middle of the room. As he looked around, he smiled and spoke, "This is why I had this meeting. Look at you all cooperating with each other. I believe that we're all coming together little by little and there is less hatred amongst ourselves."

He paused for just a moment and looked at me, but the way he looked at me was concerning.

"Now then, this is the second to last thing I have to say, and I don't mean to put you in the spotlight but...young chief of Berk I need you to explain how to control the threat that dragons pose to the rest of the world. Tell them how to stop the dragon threat or at least tell us how to control the dragons so we don't have to fight one another, please."

Now I knew why he called us here, to tell everyone how to train dragons. I looked over to Ronde slowly lowering his head to look with concern. I remember what he asked me to do, or rather, what not to do. {"You can tell them that dragons aren't a real threat but you should not teach them how to control them or train them."}

I nodded at him while trying to stand, "I know you do, however, I won't tell them..."

All eyes were on me

"Well uh...I can't just explain how to tame a dragon, that would require too much work, and I don't believe that anyone has the patience for the explanation."

I could hear everyone in that place mumbling.

I tried to get their attention, "But if you all are having trouble with dragons raiding your homes, I do have a suggestion that I can share."

They all quickly became silent, and I believed I had more people looking at me than before.

"It may sound strange, but try putting eels in places that are important enough to protect, such as your livestock, certain outposts, and possibly your homes."

They all began mumbling again, this time with some people looking at me with confused faces. Unitatis walked closer toward me and asked, "Young Chief, what do you mean that eels are the answer?"

"No, don't think of them as the answer, think of them more as a repellent. Dragons are afraid of eels, the mere scent of an eel will keep them away from your supplies," I explained.

Someone from the crowd spoke up. "Tell me Chief, will it immobilize them long enough for us to attack them?"

I was shocked that he said that, but then another yelled, "If they eat the eels, will they get sick and die?"

Everyone began bombarding me with questions about how to make the dragons suffer.

They were losing the whole point of my explanation, and I was losing them, "Hold on!" I yelled to get their attention.

They all looked at me.

"The method that I just described is a way for you to stop fighting against dragons because they will be too scared to attack you. Some of you may not understand this, but dragons are very intelligent beings."

Some of the people in the audience began to laugh at me.

One from the crowd spoke up, "They're just dumb animals-they can't learn things such as love, compassion and the meaning of family. All they do is kill, steal, and destroy anything that comes into their path."

That comment made me angry but I tried to calm myself down. "Do you believe that?"

The Viking who said that that stood up, "I don't believe that; I know that it is a fact."

I hated to do this, and Ronde, I hope you didn't mind that I pointed towards you and Stormfly. "Do they look like any threat to you? They're just sitting there waiting for us-waiting to go home to their family and friends."

Everyone was silent.

"Like people, dragons do care about life and about others. They are very loyal to those they trust, whether it is humans or dragons. If you look past your hatred of them, you can see that for yourself. They just want to live peacefully, the fact that some of them raid is because they don't have a choice since-"

"Hrrraaaa."

I looked over my shoulder to see Ronde, and his facial expression showed worry; he was slowly shaking his head saying 'no'.

Come to think of it, it would be a bad idea to tell them that. They would just try to do what my father did and try to find a dragon nest. I almost made the same mistake twice.

I looked back towards the crowd of people, a majority of confused looks on their faces. "I'm sorry, but the eels are the only advice I can give you. You can either take it and use it or continue doing what your ancestors were doing, and we all know how that turned out."

Unitatis stopped in front of me for a second, "Young chief, what was that? Why did the dragon growl at you?"

"Oh, uh..." Shoot got to think of something quick, "He can sense my anger and he tried to get my attention to calm me down. He had a special case with a viking where he gets too angry, he might die. However, we needed him to get here faster, but he also sense the same amount of stress from me than the individual in my Village." I hoped he would believe that.

Unitatis looked impressed. "Amazing," was all he said.

I was walking back towards my seat, but then I heard someone clapping.

{Clap} {Clap} {Clap}

"Well, I agree with you on some portions of your speech; however you can train a wolf to sit and stay, but at the end of the day it's still an animal. Its only instincts are to hunt, survive, and prepare to find a mate so it can have children and continue its line through to the Next Generation."

I turned around to see a very peculiar man with a cape made out of some sort of material. I couldn't get a very good look at him, but he was walking towards the middle of the meeting, right next to the fire while he continued to clap.

"People are people, animals are animals, and dragons are dragons: there are no equals among this world. It's sad that you probably don't even know what I'm saying or what I'm talking about."

As he continued walking closer, I could see more detail on him. He was wearing some sort of dark clothing with metal wristbands. But what stood out to me was his complexion, it was almost similar to...Ronde's. Wait, was it possible that this was Ronde's King?

He stopped in front of my throne and when he was nearly six feet away from us, he stopped clapping said to me, "This is why my kingdom has laws where only those with a certain intellect and approval of the people can be king and queen... It's quite obvious that your inheritance of your village was prematurely given to you."

"Who gives you the right to judge him!?" Astrid yelled.

The man simply glared at Astrid and laughed maniacally to himself. "This is a conversation between a king and a foolish leader-stay out of it girl."

I could feel Astrid ready to swing at this man, but I managed to slightly calm her down by looking at her and smiling. I looked at the man and asked him, "What do you mean I'm 'foolish'?"

He was whispering this time, "I know what you're about to say, and, if it wasn't for your dragon, you would have led all these men and women to their deaths. I mean it would have been easier for me to possibly conquer their lands, but I don't wish death upon ignorant people. I know that you're lying about taming the dragons and it being a long story to tell them. Tell you the truth, not telling them is the smartest thing you've done here today, but actually bringing your dragons?" He laughed, "That is downright idiotic. You know that you should keep your dragons away from people that fear them, don't you? Well, at least I think you should.".

"Who are you anyway?" I asked

He stepped away from us and spoke loud enough for everyone to hear him. "Oh, where are my manners? My name is Woede. I am the king of my country which is named Afri." He turned around looking towards the crowd, "I do agree with this boy when it comes to certain aspects of dragons: they are not as aggressive as one may think. However they are still animals, and animals, especially intelligent ones, will always go to locations that suit their needs and desires. The fact that you believe that you can tame these animals, that they have loyalty, is mediocre at best. Fear is what rules all."

"Fear is not something a person can use to gain another person's trust and loyalty." I retorted.

"Oh, you believe that? What do you think all these people are doing here? The empty threats that Unitatis posed were nothing more than that, this was just-"

"WOEDE ENOUGH! I will get to that at the end of the meeting." Unitatis yelled, cutting him off.

Woede laughed, "Unitatis... you should know it's better to rip out the patch now than later. You could save yourself a great deal of hatred, but, hey, it's up to you old friend."

The king walked past Unitatis and they glared at one another before he began walking back towards us only stopping when Unitatis yelled at him, "This is why I invited your wife instead of you! Why did you insist upon coming if you were just going to ruin this!?"

"Whenever she goes to a place that has the opportunity for me to display my power and my intelligence, I will go with her. Now...back to you." He pointed towards us."I know what you're trying to do, but the stunts that you have done has possibly made you more enemies than friends. You may think you're doing something for the right reasons, but you need to realize that if you're loyal to a cause, that cause will always betray you in the end. As for your dragon, it seems it can't stand my presence."

I was wondering what he was talking about until I heard some sort of grinding sound from behind me. When I looked at the ground where Ronde was, I saw several claws scratchings on the ground. They looked fairly deep, as if he scratched the ground during the entire conversation. Not only that, but I also noticed his hand was trembling. As I kept looking closer, I saw that his whole body was trembling as he refused to look at the person who I believe was his King. Why was he trembling? Was he angry, scared, or both? When I could tell that he was angry with Mogadon, I was leaning more towards scared for how Ronde was at this point. What was it about this guy that had Ronde so scared?

"Ahh... I see fear and anger, what a confusing combination. Is it because of my presence or is it something more Dragon?"

Ronde continued to tremble but refused to look at the king. He was staring at something, but his facial expression remained the same as he heard every word the king said and I thought he was angry.

"Look at me, dragon!" Yell the king.

Ronde still wasn't looking at him but I hear a faint growl from him.

"What are you doing!?" yelled Astrid.

The man laughed and continued staring at Ronde while he was saying, "Chief, tell your dragon to look at me or I will burn down your village called Berk!"

It all happened so fast, but before I had a chance to respond Ronde was in a position ready to attack his king. His teeth were bared, his eyes were mere slits, and he was nearly an inch away from this man, but the king never moved from the spot where he was standing.

"Ahhhh...there it is-the anger I was looking for. What are you waiting for dragon? Used your fire against me!"

Is this man insane?

I looked over towards Ronde but he wasn't recognizable in his current state. He looked the same way that he did during the Bog Burglars attack, but something was different.

"Well? Are you just going to stare at me or are you going to do something!?" the king yelled.

Ronde just stood there with his fangs could have been my imagination, but it looked like a tear came down the side of his face. However, I don't think the king noticed it.

Suddenly Ronde walked past the king and towards the middle of the room, next to the fireplace.

The king was confused, but the rest of the people were concerned but couldn't help staring at Ronde.

Ronde, standing next to the fire, was just staring at it for a moment. Suddenly he opened his mouth and screamed inside of the fireplace, making a stream of flames come out. But, with the way he was screaming, it sounded nothing like a dragon nor a human, but, by the sound of it, he was angry or frustrated. Something angered him and he needed some way to cope.

"RAGGAAAAAAA!"

Unitatis had to stop his guards from harming Ronde, but everyone looked scared and was worried about what he was doing.

Ronde finally stopped and was breathing heavily. He looked around at the crowd of people. Then he walked back towards us and sat down next to me, right in front of the king, who had a confused look.

Unitatis then walked next to the fireplace and sighed. "Well, the fireplace has become a fire pit. I didn't think he could melt stone-like material, otherwise, I would have stopped him. But I guess I'll have to make do with what I have right now. Young Chief, please keep control of your dragon. I know that Woede is interrogating him, but it was your responsibility to control that dragon."

"Yes, I'm sorry, it shouldn't happen again." I looked over towards Ronde to see his eyes closed, but it seemed like he managed to calm himself down.

"Very unusual behavior for a dragon; and, say, it almost looks to be the same species that managed to scratch my leg. Oh well, that dragon would have made a fine addition to my task force."

"Unusual? No, that was his way of venting, but, at the same time, that was his mercy for you- asking him to shoot you. Are you insane? Asking a dragon to breathe fire on you?" Astrid asked.

"He wouldn't be able to damage me with his fire anyway, not with this armor. I wanted to prove that nothing can harm me, not even your dragons but... today has been very interesting. I doubt our paths will cross again, but know this, young chief of Berk, the world will be after you today. You shouldn't have brought your dragons here unless you were going to prove that you are the strongest amongst these tribes. But all you have done is shown that you are the weakest, and now you have a target on your back. Good luck."

_**(30 minutes later)**_

Unitatis was trying to get everyone's attention. "I'm sorry for the wait everyone. I only have one more thing to say, then we can all be dismissed."

Everyone within the crowd gave him their attention.

"I must say that I appreciate every single one of you guys coming here to better yourselves and to make more connections and to have fewer enemies. However, I am ashamed of myself for threatening you all to come. I know that there were some people unable to come for specific reasons, and I have excused them from coming, so please, do not chase after them. The last thing I have to say is... I know that some of you only came, not because you wanted to, but because you were asked to by the Warlords."

There was an uptake of people whispering to one another, but Unitatis continued speaking. "I know that some of you are working for them because of your greed, and some because you weren't given a choice." It was only for a moment, but I saw Unitatis look over to Bertha, and she looked towards the ground disappointed.

"I would recommend not to tell them what has transpired here today. But I know that you will anyway, so, if you will tell them anything, tell them this: their greed will be the thing that will cause them to sink. Please leave in an orderly manner and no fighting outside. You all may go home."

We waited for a few minutes for everyone else to leave. Once it looked clear, we got up to leave, and were walking towards the end of the docks. The sky was bright orange so it had to be the middle of the afternoon.

"Well, it looks like we made no progress in the way of connections with other tribes," I said out loud.

"What did you expect?" asked Ronde, "People cheering for you and praising me and Stormfly?"

"Look, I tried, ok? People are just very stubborn. But that doesn't matter, what about you? Are you satisfied with coming here?"

"Yes, I have seen what I needed to see. Now, let's hurry back to Berk so I can decide what to do next."

"Oh, did you have something in mind?" asked Astrid.

"I need to blow off some steam, I'm still angry at my...king for what he did."

"So that man was your king after all?" I asked.

"Yes, and I didn't think it was possible, but he's worse then I remember."

When he said that, I noticed he had a sad look on his face; he was looking down at the wooden docks that we were walking over.

"Does your king mean something to you, like a role model or something?"

"Let's just drop it and go..." He stopped talking and began sniffing the air around him. I was confused for a moment, but then he stopped walking and looked behind us with a very shocked and confused expression.

That's when I heard a voice behind me, "Excuse me, may I speak with you."

Both Astrid and I turned around to see a woman with a brown complexion in what was either a dark robe or dress. She continued to speak to us, "So, are you the Dragon Riders that I have been hearing rumors about?"

No one had called us that since we got here. I was actually surprised and taken aback by her comment, which led me to ask her, "Yes, but who are you?"

"Oh, I'm sorry. I heard that first impressions matter so how could I forget to introduce myself. I'm sorry; my name is Neurie. I am the queen of Afri, and wife of the man who...made a scene during your moment."

I was shocked-this was the queen? What was she doing here?

She then lowered her head in a formal bow and said, "I do apologize for my husband's outburst and actions today. He saw you as easy prey and tried to demonstrate his power by using you. I regret not stopping him; so again, I am very sorry."

"Ok, but why are you here? I know that you didn't come here just to apologize," Astrid said.

She almost looked hurt, "Well, you're right; however, I did want to apologize, but I came to talk to your leader about joining together to form an Alliance-or at least for our islands to communicate with each other."

I was surprised as well as confused, "Wait, what? Why?"

"Well, I'm not sure if you've heard but my people have also integrated dragons into our tribes and I can't pass on an opportunity to connect with another tribe who has also done this. We may be far away from each other, but we can message one another. I believe that if we become allies both of our tribes can and will flourish."

I was shocked when I heard this. After all, I thought that the only people that had dragons integrated into the homes were us Berkens, the people of the Defenders of the Wing, and the Berserkers; I didn't think there would be more of us out there.

She looked excited and said, "So what do you say? Can we try to become allies?"

I just stood there without saying anything. I needed time to think this over. Her husband doesn't seem to like us. So how would this alliance even work between us?

She looked disappointed and looked away from me, "Oh, I see...I'm sorry to have bothered you." Then she began to walk away from us.

"Wait," I yelled and she quickly turned around and looked at me confused. So I said to her, "It's not the fact that I didn't want to be allied with you, it's just... what about your husband? He doesn't like us."

She began to chuckle. "Is that all? Don't you worry about him. I'll take care of that part. The only way to convince my husband of something is to make him believe that he has control over the situation. But, believe me when I say that I have more power than him. So, do we have an agreement?" She said while holding out her hand.

I didn't know why, but the way she said that, as well as the way that she held out her hand seemed very familiar. But I extended my hand to shake hers. "It's a deal; but how will we contact each other?" I asked.

"I will either send a messenger or have someone send letters to you. I believe I know where your island is located. I believe it's located on the Meridian of misery-an island called Barke?"

"No, it's called Berk. But how do you know this?"

She held her hand out while counting the reasons, "Rumors, people that want to see your village burned, outside sources, maps that are specifically used for the area around your archipelago, and interrogations of people that try to evade our land. Nothing much, truly."

She said that so casually, like it really was nothing, and the way she spoke to us there had a familiar ring to it. No, I haven't seen this woman before, but there is something that I can't shake off, whether it's her personality, manners, or the way she speaks-it just seemed familiar for some odd reason. The way she held her hand out and the way she said it, it reminded me of the time when Ronde tried to convince us to help him while on his island.

"Anyway, I have to see my husband off in a few minutes since we came here in separate ships. Leave it to him to make me mad before we even began to sail here. But, I do hope to see you aga-..."

She cut herself off and looked behind us staring at something. "Young leader, is there something wrong with your dragon? It seems to be terrified of something."

What was she talking about? I turned around to see something unexpected: Ronde was cowering, trying his best to look small. I had never seen a person or a dragon look so scared.

"Is there something wrong with that dragon? Why does it looked so scared?" She was repeating herself now.

We all turned around to face him, which led him to back away from us. The strange thing was, he wasn't looking at me or even at Astrid-he was looking at the queen behind us. He nearly tripped on his tail trying to get away from us, trembling in front of us.

Suddenly the queen walked past us and towards Ronde.

I tried to stop her. "Wait. What are you doing?"

She smiled at me and said, "It's ok, I'm not going to harm your dragon. I have been taming dragons for almost 7 years ever since..."I noticed her smile fade. "Anyway, I know what to do to calm a dragon when it's experiencing intense emotions, so please allow me to try. I believe that I have something to do with his behavior."

"But why would you-" Astrid then held my shoulder.

"Hiccup... I think we should let her do this."

Why would Astrid say that? The only explanation is that there's something I'm missing that she's not. I turned towards the queen and said, "Go ahead, your majesty."

She nodded and began to lower herself was she walked towards him. Ronde moved farther away from us until he was at the end of the docks.

"Please, don't be afraid dragon." Neurie said. She walked closer to him and said, "I saw that you were constantly looking over towards my side of the group. Do you have any interest towards us or just me?"

That got Ronde's attention, but he still didn't look at her.

She got to his face without him noticing and she placed her hands on his cheeks. He visibly flinched, but he still wasn't looking at her.

"See, I'm not going to harm you. I see you have stopped shaking, I do have that effect on dragons. But why do you refuse to look at me?" she questioned, almost hurt.

Ronde still refused to look at her, but he was slowly turning his head to face her. But why is he acting so strangely towards her. I thought to myself.

"Ok, that's a start, but could you at least look at me...please."

Ronde looked at her, and he was scared.

"See was that wasn't so..." she stopped talking and examined his eyes. "Your...your eyes are...very different from any dragons I've seen before, and they look familiar...Have I seen you before?"

The queen took one step closer towards him and began to examine his body instead of just his head, which led her to gasp. "No, you...can't be..."

I was confused by her reaction, "Ms, is everything ok?"

She was looking back and forth between me and Ronde and said, "I don't know...I just...need to see something."

She turned towards Ronde. "Dragon, can you understand me?"

He flinched and the queen noticed it as well. "Your...no, it's just a coincidence...but you did just flinch...you do understand me, and you know me too, don't you?"

Ronde just closed his eyes and turned away from her.

The queen moved her hands away from him but she still stood in front of him. She was quiet for a moment but then, all of a sudden, she walked closer to him, closed her eyes, and began humming.

"Hm, Hm, Hm-hm, Hmmmmm."

She was humming a melody that was soothing-like it was some sort of lullaby.

It got Ronde's attention and he moved closer to her. He was face to face with the queen-their distance being only inches apart.

The next thing I saw was Ronde beginning to close his eyes as he began listening to the queen humming.

"This is the moment of truth." Astrid said.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"We'll see based on his reaction when this is over."

I was confused when she said that.

The queen's lullaby seemed to be coming to an end. When she finally finished the last note, she looked over to Ronde almost like she waiting for something. A few seconds had gone by and the queen looked hurt and began to walk away from him.

Until.

"Hm, Hmmmmm, Hm."

The queen turned around to face him again, her hand over her mouth with a shocked expression on her face. It seemed that the lullaby the queen was humming was the first part of the song, but she stopped during the end portion of the first part. Ronde was humming what I assumed was the second part. I didn't think that he was aware that the queen had stopped humming it.

"Can it be? Only my mother, daughters, and my ...son..know this song." The queen said almost horrified.

Ronde continued to hum the lullaby. When he hummed the last note, he opened his eyes to look at his queen. But then he also looked horrified.

The queen began to tear up. "My mother told me that...you...were still alive but...I couldn't believe how it...happened or if it was even...possible, until I saw you."

She began to walk a little closer to Ronde. This led him to look even more horrified.

"Ro...Ron...Ronde is that you-?"

Ronde then panicked and looked around frantically.

"Wait! Please don't-!" The queen yelled but was cut off by the wind when he opened his wings

He flew away quickly from the docks, over the open sea, and into the empty sky.

"Oh, no-quickly Hiccup, hop on Stormfly!" yelled Astrid.

I quickly followed her onto Stormfly and we were about to take off when-

"WAIT! PLEASE!" screamed the queen.

Before she got in our way, we were already off the ground, but I yelled in response: " I'm sorry, but we have to see what is wrong with him."

Even from this distance, I could tell that the queen was hurt and crying.

Stormfly was on Ronde's trail and we could see him a distance away. We quickly flew right beside him. But when we got to him, we saw that he was a crying mess, using his legs and feet to wipe away his tears. "Ronde, please, tell us what's wrong."

He turned towards us and growled viciously. "GET AWAY FROM ME NOW!" He flapped his wings in our direction and a strong gust of wind came toward us.

By the time it had passed, he was no longer in our sights.

I tried to compose myself. "What was all that about? Why did he act like that?" I asked.

"I thought that...if she would have known that it was him, that he would be happy, but I was wrong-I should have intervened."

"What do you mean? I know that was his leader but he still shouldn't have acted like that."

"Hiccup, I'll tell you more, but first we need to find Fishlegs, and then Ronde."

We flew back towards the island that Fishlegs and Toothless were on, waiting for us.

Astrid quickly explained the situation with Ronde and yet Fishlegs didn't seem to be shocked at all.

"From what I've read in his journal entries and from what you just told me, I can why he is upset."

"Why is that?" I asked.

"From his second entry, I learned that his father has some sort of authority. Ronde's father had control over his country's army. Yet it seems like that was not the only control that he had."

"But again, why does... wait a minute." If his father had power over people, that would make him high above the ranks of his country. But what does that have to do with Ronde's actions today?

"What about his mother? Did it mention anything about her?" I asked.

"Just one thing that has to do with her work. She helps Ronde's father by trying to keep him in line and make sure that he doesn't do anything that could harm the tribes of his home. Hiccup, what does that sound like to you?"

"It sounds like a job for the partner of a...chief, a leader...a..." Realization struck me. Now I know why he was angry right, then afraid and confused during that interaction with the queen. "King. Ronde's parents were the king and queen of his country, the people that we just met."

"Yeah," Astrid said.

I turned around to face her. "You knew?"

With the way Astrid looked at me, I could tell that she was clearly upset about something. "With the way that his king almost looks just like him as well as the way his mother spoke to us; they just reminded me so much of him and that led me to make the connection that they might be his parents."

So he's upset because he saw his mother? Or is more to it than just that? I thought to myself. I ran over to Toothless and got on his saddle before looking over at Astrid and Fishlegs. "We have to find him."

* * *

_**-Author's note-**_

_**If you're having a hard time imagining what Unitatis looks like, imagine a younger Pope without the Hat.**_

_**Neurie, translates to 'Humming' in Afrikaans**_

_**Woede, translates to 'Angry' in Afrikaans**_

_**Unitatis, in Latin means "Restoration of unity"**_

_**Oh, and I made a mistake in one of the previous chapter but Ronde's name actually means round not runt, but I'm not going to fix it, I'm just going to have to make a joke about it in the later chapters.**_

_**Enjoy the new year and I hope that this year treats you well.**_

_**A review would be appreciated, tell me what you like about the story this far or Flame me, I Don't Know give me something.**_


	24. In Their Mind-Update

_**Another update to the story, this part of the story happens at the end portion of chapter 19. This way you could see what was going through the head of Ronde and another special character. Enjoy.**_

* * *

Ronde(POV)

The day of peace was finally over and I finally saw my parents after all these years. I was happy to see them but then that happiness turned into sadness, they looked so happy without me being in their lives. But I know that people need to move on with their lives, they can't stay sad forever. But the way my mother looked, she was happy to listen to the others within this place, she was also so invested in Hiccup while he was speaking. Until my father interrupt him when he was almost finished speaking. Then he came towards us, every fiber in my body wanted to scream, pounce and hurt him for everything he's done to me while I was a child but I stood my ground and clawed the ground to try to calm myself down. But when he threatened to destroy Berk I lost myself for just a moment but I knew that that was just a threat to get a reaction from Hiccup. But still, that is something he would do, I needed to vent, I needed to get this anger out before I do something I will regret. I yelled into the fireplace and in the process, a stream of flames came out. But that doesn't matter, this meeting is over and now we're going back to Berk.

"Well, it looks like we made no progress in the way of connections with other tribes," Hiccup said out loud.

"What did you expect?" I asked, "People cheering for you and praising me and Stormfly?"

"Look, I tried, ok? People are just very stubborn. But that doesn't matter, what about you? Are you satisfied with coming here?"

"Yes, I have seen what I needed to see. Now, let's hurry back to Berk so I can decide what to do next."

"Oh, did you have something in mind?" asked Astrid.

"I need to blow off some steam, I'm still angry at my...king for what he did."

"So that man was your king after all?" Astrid asked.

"Yes, and I didn't think it was possible, but he's worse then I remember."

I didn't want to talk about this any further, my parents had moved on without me so I need to do the same. As much as I do miss them this feeling of loneliness is better than the feeling of getting rejected from them or anyone. But I'm still sad about not being able to see them again after this. Too much time has passed for me to return home to them.

Astrid must have noticed my sadness and asked, "Does your king mean something to you, like a role model or something?"

"Let's just drop it and go..." a familiar scent had entered my nose, but this smell is the fruit oil of a certain fruit that doesn't even grow on this side of the world. It had an exotic smell yet next to that scent was something else...something I only had a chance to smell once...when I first became a dragon...' NO!'

I turned around to see her walking towards us, but why here!? Why now? Did she know that I'm this dragon in front of her!?

Excuse me, may I speak with you," My mother asked.

Both Astrid and Hiccup turned around to see my mother in her dark blue robe she wears when she presenting around others. She continued to speak to them, "So, are you the Dragon Riders that I have been hearing rumors about?"

'She not here for me...' I was both happy and sadden again. Why am I? Why do I keep getting mix emotions when I see them? Do I feel guilty or something?

"Yes, but who are you?" Hiccup asked.

My mother looked shocked, "Oh, I'm sorry. I heard that first impressions matter so how could I forget to introduce myself. I'm sorry; my name is Neurie. I am the queen of Afri, and wife of the man who...made a scene during your moment."

My mother then lowered her head in a formal bow, she only does that when she tried to show respect to others even she knows that she is a queen and queens don't bow to others. Then she said, "I do apologize for my husband's outburst and actions today. He saw you as easy prey and tried to demonstrate his power by using you. I regret not stopping him; so again, I am very sorry."

"Ok, but why are you here?" Astrid asked.

I wasn't listening to there conversation I was looking at my mother, even with my sharp vision I could tell somehow she looks the exact same way as she did 7 years ago. Not one wrinkle has shown on her face from stress or aging. I guess the fruit oil she uses has something to do with that.

The more I examined her the more scared I became. How much of her life have I missed? Is she still the same as before? Can she really accept me like this?

I began to shake uncontrollably the more I thought about this.

Their conversation has ended and my mother began to speak," Anyway, I have to see my husband off in a few minutes since we came here in separate ships. Leave it to him to make me mad before we even began to sail here. But, I do hope to see you aga-..."

She was looking at me.

She looks at Hiccup and asked, "Young leader, is there something wrong with your dragon? It seems to be terrified of something."

Everyone was looking at me and instinct somewhat took over, I made myself looked as small as possible and tried to distance myself away from them but I manage to trip over my tail in the process but I caught myself being falling towards the ground.

My mother looks at me with the same pitied look when my father was about to kill me, "Is there something wrong with that dragon? Why does it look so scared?"

She begins walking towards me and the other stopped her. They were talking but I didn't hear them I was to get away from them but I was running out of room on the docks and something was preventing me to fly away.

But eventually, they let her pass to see me. I backed farther away from them but I was at the end of the docks and my mother was approaching me like a certain dragon lady I met a few years back with her walking slowly and low towards me.

"Please, don't be afraid dragon." My mother said. She walked closer towards me and said, "I saw that you were constantly looking over towards my side of the group. Do you have any interest towards us or just me?"

My eyes slightly widened, 'she saw me looking in her direction? I thought my mentor was the only one.'

As I was thinking about that she snuck in my face and placed her hand underneath my chin towards my cheek and I flinched. She quicker then I remember but I don't face her.

"See, I'm not going to harm you. I see you have stopped shaking, I do have that effect on dragons. But why do you refuse to look at me?" she asked while rubbing my cheek but she sounded so hurt. I didn't look at her but I turned my head towards her.

"Ok, that's a start, but could you at least look at me...please."

I was scared to look in her eyes but something inside me wanted to look at her, so I stared in her eyes.

Neurie(pov)

The dragon finally looks me in the eye "See was that wasn't so..." I stop talking to further examine this dragon eyes, and something was off yet familiar, "Your...your eyes are...very different from any dragons I've seen before, and they look familiar...Have I seen you before?"

This dragon looked familiar but where have I seen it before? And its eyes looked so human-like, all the dragons I have encountered had fully colored eyes with irises. But this dragon is different, and its behavior is also strange. Why is it so scared when I approach it? Does it know me or something?

I took one step closer to examine this dragon farther. This dragon had hair on top of its head or maybe it was fur but the only dragon that I have heard that has fur is the Woolly Howl, but this dragon is different. But I remember I have seen a dragon before with hair on top of its head before, but where?

'Then I remember something, the day that the family meeting when my son was poison. A baby dragon somehow found it's way into my son's room and...'

My eyes widen and I gasped out loud, "No, you...can't be...," is it possible that this is the same dragon that was in my son's room...and if so could this be...

I then remember the day that my mother told me the truth of what happened to my son.

* * *

_I was in my son's room just cleaning the dust off his desk and toys rack. It's been over a year now since we had to bury him or at least whatever was remaining after the poison finished him off. It makes me so sad that he died in such a way and he was so young. After I finished dusting I sat down on his bed and looked at the spot where he always rested. I imagine him just being there sleeping so soundly, humming his favorite lullaby._

_Today was his birthday._

_I laid down next to the spot where he was, and I could see him just sleeping, and suddenly he opened his eyes to look at me._

_"Mom.."_

_He was speaking to me and I answered, "Yes, son?"_

_"Why are you so sad?"_

_A tear came out of my eye, "I just miss you so much...I wanted to celebrate your birthday with you before the Spring Festival that coming up soon...I want to see you again.."_

_He smiled at me, "Mom it's ok, you need to just focus on your happiness. Please don't be sad because of me."_

_"Am not...it not because of you, it's just...you were so young you didn't get a chance to experience life outside of your village. I just wish I would have done more for you."_

_He places his hand on top of mine grab it and place it on his cheek and smile at me, "Mom it's ok, I'm free." He looks me in my eyes and said, "mother could you hum that lullaby I like please?"_

_I smile while rubbing his cheeks, "Sure Ronde, anything for you."_

_I close my eyes and hummed the song that has been past down to generation to generation. A song that had a story that I never had the chance to explain it to you. A story of a person who fought against destiny and made it his own. Through trial and error, he had it possible to live his life the way he wanted. The story makes it sound like the person was selfish but it quite the opposite, all he did was help people to. The portion of where the song where we have to pitch the high note represents the portion that's a person's life when he was at the highest point of his life, the happiness he experienced. But the low portion represents the time he struggles. But at the end of the song is a mixture of both high and low to represent that life can be cruel but it can bring happiness to one's self and others around him._

_I finished the last note of the song, and when I opened my eyes Ronde was gone and my hand was just over the spot where his head used to be. I was imagining this entire conversation. I was so saddened, for a moment I thought he was here. I just miss my son._

_"Why must I be reminded that just because I have the power of the queen, I don't have the power to bring my son back!?"_

_I cried onto his pillow I feel so weak, I feel like a failure. I fail as a parent, I couldn't protect my only son. Why did it have to happen like this?._

_Suddenly I heard the door open, I tried to wipe away my tears before I face whoever was there._

_"Neurie..."_

_I turned to see who it was, it was my mother. She then closed the door so no one could see us._

_She sat down next to me, "His birthday was today, isn't it? Is that why you're here upset?"_

_I nodded wiping away the tears from my cheek._

_She looked towards the wall in front of us and said, "He turned 11 today..."_

_"He would have turned 11," I responded._

_She looked towards me for a moment then she looked towards his drawing space. She looked almost guilty of something. But then she faced me and said, "Neurie we need to talk about Ronde."_

_I didn't want to discuss this topic I already fell like a failure. I got up from the bed and began walking towards the door._

_But my mother grabbed my wrist and said, "You need to hear this."_

_"NO!" I yelled and got away from her, "I already feel like a failure as a parent, I couldn't protect my child, My Son. I don't want to be reminded of my failure."_

_"Ronde might be still alive."_

_The moment she said that the world became silent, "What did you just say?"_

_She got up from the bed and walked towards the window. "I said Ronde might be still alive."_

_"What do you mean by that? You told me he was dead."_

_She then turned to face me and said, "Neurie, you know I only lie when the truth is so unbelievable that a lie is more believable than that of the truth."_

_I was shocked and angry, "This is my son were talking about!"_

_"And my grandson," she responded._

_I tried to calm myself down, but she knew that Ronde wasn't dead yet she lied to me for over a year. "Why?" I asked, "Why did you hide this from me? My son is alive why did you hide that from me?"_

_She had a guilty expression, "I wanted to tell you for so long but I couldn't bring myself to do it. I didn't want you to be angry with me or think I was crazy but I need time to gather my courage to tell you. I'm sorry for hiding this fact from you but you must understand the events that happened that day are crazy and unbelievable."_

_What is she talking about? "Mother where Ronde?"_

_She faced the floor and said, "I don't know."_

_"What do you mean you don't know? You just said he was alive, now tell me!" I yelled._

_"He might be alive but I don't know what happened to him."_

_"What do you mean?" I asked concerned._

_"I need to tell you what happened during that day. Please sit down."_

_I was still angry, why is she wasting time where we could be finding him? He couldn't have gone that far. I know that it been a year but he never goes outside of our tribe unless he went Hunting with our men. But I sat down._

_"During that night. I couldn't stop the poison from spreading across his body. The Anti-Venom just wasn't working. And I believe it was because of that drug that was found in the dragon's food. But I had no way to heal him. But I thought of a method that did work but..."_

_"But what? What happened to my son?" I asked._

_"She looked at me with a facial expression that I can't describe but contorted, and she finally said, "I believe I know how but I manage to turn Ronde into a dragon."_

_..._

_..._

_"Mother are you crazy enough to think I would believe such a stupid story!?"_

_She looked disappointed, "This is why I didn't say anything about this I know that you would think that I'm crazy but it true!"_

_I was beginning to get irritated, "Ok mother what kind of dragon did you turn him into to?"_

_"That just it, I don't know! He was a tiny purple dragon with hair on top of his head that walks on 4 legs with wings on his back. His eyes and hair color stayed the same but that was it. I left him here while I went to find you but I got tired of walking up and down all those stairs and I fell asleep near the entrance waiting for you to return."_

_"I would remember a...purple...dragon...with hair...in here..."_

_I remember, that night of the meeting there was a dragon in this room. That dragon was around the same size as Ronde and it did have hair on top of its head. And when Woede tried to scare that dragon, the dragons looked at me with its eyes...brown eyes that looked like Ronde's and made a gesture at me. Then when I tried to stop him the dragon looked like it smiled at me, but then when Woede scared him the dragon attacked him, I thought that the dragon was going to kill him but it flew out the window._

_And mother perfectly describes the dragon, and she said that she left him in this room. Which means she's might be telling the truth. "M-my son was that d-dragon? H-how is this possible? Why did you do that to him?"_

_Then her eyes began to widen, "You see him as a dragon didn't you? Only you know what happened to him. So tell me did you have a dragon I just described to you? That might be him."_

_"No" I yelled, "you answer me first why did you turn my son into a dragon!?"_

_She looked hurt, "I didn't mean for it to happen, I just wanted to save his life. The method I use was supposed to just heal the damage that the poison caused, it wasn't supposed to turn him into a dragon. I'm so sorry."_

_I was more angry about her lying to me, but she saved his life. But what happened to you Ronde? Where are you now? Why haven't you tried to return home? "Look mother just tell me are you telling me that purple dragon was really Ronde?"_

_"Yes, if my memory is correct." She responded._

_"The dragon attacked Woede and flew out the window."_

_She had a very shocked expression and she came towards me. "Ronde attack Woede, his father?"_

_"Woede tried to scare him and the just dragon reacted."_

_Her eyes began to widen further, "no, no oh no I told him not to get too upset. That would mean he's was possibly responsible for that kid..."_

_"What are you talking about?" I asked._

_She tried to calm herself down, "When Ronde first woke up he tried to attack me but soon fainted. When I finally realized he regained his senses he got angry when I told him that I needed to tell you and your husband about his condition. And when he did it looked like he was ready to pounce on me."_

_"What are you saying, mother?"_

_"If he gets too mad or scared, he might act like a wild feral dragon. And remember those reports during the same night of the meeting of those kids that was attacked by a dragon and the kid with the most damage had 5 claw marks on his neck. I think that was Ronde being wild and there a slight chance that he may be like that...forever."_

_Those kids were cut badly but one of them confessed that they were torturing the dragon, "I don't know what to believe anymore I just want my son back, and if your right about that dragon being my son then I'll have scouts looking for that dragon across this country."_

_"I'm sorry for hiding the truth but if it really Ronde in that mind of that dragon he'll come back on his own time."_

* * *

6 years later and yet still nothing until now, if this is Ronde, I need to see something.

The young man behind me spoke, "Ms, is everything ok?"

I was looking back and forth between them and this dragon that could be my son and said, "I don't know...I just...need to see something."

I turn towards this dragon and asked, "Dragon, can you understand me?"

He flinched

He just flinched! But something was off, "Your...no, it's just a coincidence...but you did just flinch...you do understand me, and you know me too, don't you?"

The dragon just closes its eyes a looked away from me.

I moved my hands away from this dragon but I still need to know if this was my son, I stood in front of him. I walked closer to him, closed my eyes, and began humming my family lullaby.

"Hm, Hm, Hm-hm, Hmmmmm."

I heard the dragon move closer to me but I was just focusing on the first verse of the lullaby.

When it was over I open my eyes and saw that the dragon was facing me with its eyes closed but did not react.

I knew it...I was hoping to have a chance to see him again but he's gone. Why did I believe my mother? This story about my son turning into a dragon is ridiculous. This dragon is probably very intelligent it's just not probably not used to seeing other people. And the fact that it looks like the same one that broke into my son's room is just a coincidence.

I began to walk away from the dragon to say my apologies for wasting the time of these two.

Until I heard humming coming from behind me.

Hm, Hmmmmm, Hm."

I turned around towards the dragon who was singing the second part of the lullaby!

"Can it be? Only my mother, daughters, and my ...son..know this song." I said with my hand over my mouth.

There is no way that this song was taken outside of my home only those who had past down from my family know this song. Yet this dragon was humming every note correctly and with precision as well! That would mean that this is my son! He's been like this for 7 years all alone with no one he can talk to.

I couldn't hold in my tears as my son finish the last note. And when he finally opened his eyes and he looked scared but I didn't care. So I finally said, "My mother told me that...you...were still alive but...I couldn't believe how it...happened or if it was even...possible, until I saw you."

I began to walk a little closer towards him.

"Ro...Ron...Ronde is that you-?"

Ronde then panicked and looked around frantically around the docks. I think I know what he was about to do.

"Wait! Please don't-!" but the wind when he opened his wing cut me off mid sentenced.

He flew away quickly from the docks, over the open sea, and into the empty sky.

"Oh, no-quickly Hiccup, hop on Stormfly!" yelled the young lady.

I tried to stop them. "WAIT! PLEASE!" I screamed.

But they began flying away and I heard the leader say, "I'm sorry, but we have to see what is wrong with him."

I didn't know what to do once again my son was in my gasped yet I couldn't stop him. I cried on the docks.

"Neurie!"

I turned around to see Skild, my old friend and my personal guard.

"What wrong? Did those Berkens hurt you?" He asked.

"No," I respond, "they agreed but I saw..."

Wait a minute!

I quickly stood up, "Skild do you still have that map around the Meridian of Misery?"

"Yes, I d- wait you not thinking about going there are you?" He asked concerned.

"Yes, I must!" I yelled.

"But that at least a week and a half of sailing! Maybe even 2, why do you want to go there?"

I hate playing this card but this is my son were talking about. "Skild I am your queen and you will do what I say."

He looked surprised, "So it's that important that you'll pull out that card?" He laughed, "fine but what about your husband?"

"Do you have a bow and arrow and a piece of paper?" I asked.

"Oddly specific but yes I do."

"I'll write him a note to tell him that I have another meeting to go to and he can't come because the island only allowed female or something like that, and I'll strap the note around the arrow and shoot it on his ship."

He moves closer to me, "You're going to great lengths just to do this. Did you see something important or something?"

"Yes, but you wouldn't believe me if I told you. Right now I'm still having a hard time believing it but we need to go there, the village called Berk. We still have plenty of food and water for 3 weeks."

He bows, "I understand just allow me to get everything prepared for the journey."

He walked off.

I looked towards the sky, 'Ronde I'm coming to see you again please don't anything crazy or move from Berk.'

I walk towards my ship, preparing myself for this long journey.

* * *

_**this was Longer than what it was supposed to be but I think this turned out okay. Anyway, this is just an update for the story moving forward the next chapter is finished however this is by far the longest chapter I have written thus far and I want certain scenes to be emotional as the one in this chapter so please be patient with me I am working on chapter 21 as we speak.**_

_**And as you're all well aware school's back that means updates might be a bit slow again and also I was hoping to create the prequel to this story around spring but it looks like that's not going to happen. it's going to happen eventually after the story is complete but I just don't know when anymore but I do have a special surprise during the first anniversary since this book has come out and it has been almost a year since I've created the story.**_

_**I'm also for some odd reason notifications are still down when it comes to private messages and I think I know the reason why when I look on the subreddit at this point it's been close to 3 months.**_

_**Also, this is probably a spoiler but not really but I'm going to do one more flashback into Ronde past during chapter 21. Oh and speaking of 21 this to my Beta readers that chapter is technically not on the synopsis I gave you and I do apologize for that but this chapter is supposed to be a fun one so if you have any questions about it please let me know but until then please be patient with me.**_

_**Oh, one more thing the character (Shild) is the name of Ronde mentor which translates to shield. **_

_**Take care.**_


	25. Chapter 20 Ronde's Origins

**_This is by far my longest chapter I have made for this story; it is over 17,000 words long. I am sorry for that, it is long, but I believe every word matters in this chapter unless there's a mistake. Originally this wasn't supposed to come out yet, but it's been a month since I last updated the story. This chapter will change and be upgraded possibly in the near future but here it is raw._**

* * *

Hiccup(POV)

2 days, it took us 2 days since the Day of Peace and we just to make it back to Berk. We assume that this is where Ronde was based on Stormfly, she was following his scent. We all landed near the middle of the village. It seems nobody pay us any mind.

I looked around to see if Ronde was nearby or if there were any signs of him "So, he did come back here?" I asked.

"I don't know, Stormfly could have just followed his scent a few days ago when he was following us," Astrid replied.

"Were should we start?" Asked Fishlegs.

I came up with a few ideas where to find him but we needed to separate, "Astrid, try to see if he's at Mildew home, Fishlegs looked around the island and I will ask people around the village have they seen him. If no one doesn't find any information we just try to find him another way. "

We all separated into different directions in the middle of the village. I asked people around the village have they seen Ronde, or at least have they seen the dragon he can turn into. But no one I've talked to had seen him. So, if no one had seen him there a good chance that he never came back. But I had to keep looking, maybe mom and Gobber have seen him.

I hop on Toothless's back and we flew towards Gobber workshop, and he was working on melting iron with Grump asleep next to the fireplace. Gobber took notice of me, "Las, Your Back!" He yelled and then got up and gave me a bear hug that could almost break my back. "Oh, did everything go well? Did you managed to gain any allies, or did you make more enemies?"

"Yes, yes and maybe, but Gobber that not why am here," I said while he was putting me down.

"Oh, so you were worried about me? Oh, Hiccup I'm fine and so is your mother. The tribe that we captured are cooperating and helping us fix the village-"

"Gobber." I said cutting him off, "have you seen Ronde?"

"Oh, that boy that took out some of those trespassers? He has been crying since yesterday morning in mildew old home."

Hold on, did I miss heard him? "Gobber did you say that he been crying since yesterday?"

"Yeah, I assume that he was bum out about not going with you guys but this is a little bit much I told Snotlout and the twins to help cheer him up but well...that might have been a mistake on my part."

'He's been here since yesterday morning? Yet no one seen him as the Chimera dragon and the meeting was 2 days ago. Is he really that fast?'

"Gobber I got to go see him, I'll see you later."

I flew with Toothless to find Fishlegs and we found him. "Hey Fishlegs, Gobber just told me that he's in mildew home. I hear from him as well that the twins and Snotlout are there with him. We should probably hurry before they upset him even more."

We both flew towards mildew home and I saw Astrid at the front door of the house. We landed a little farther up that when I saw the twins and Snotlout sitting a few feet from the house.

"What going on?" I asked

Snotlout look irritated and answer, "He's been lock-in that house ever since he woke up yesterday, he refused to come out. We have been ordered to get him out, but I say just let him cry about getting left behind."

"What are you talking about?" Fishlegs asked, "He's not crying because of us, where did you come up with that?"

Snotlout shrugged, "That what Gobber told us, or at least that what he thinks."

Astrid stared at us, "Shhhhh..."

She turned towards the door and knock on it and said, "Ronde please come out and talk to us."

"Go. Away." He said angrily.

"No, just come out and talk to us you can't just stay in there all day. When was the last time you have eaten anything?"

"Get away from the door, Astrid."

"No just listen to-"

"**NOW!**"

Everyone got up from sitting down and Astrid back away from the door. All of our dragons were on the defensive, he didn't yell at Astrid he just roared at her.

"What was that?" Tuffnut asked. "It almost sounds like a roared from a dragon." Replied his twin.

I wanted to see if Astrid need help but then she smiled at me and gestured to stay right where I am. Then she walks in front of the door one more time.

"Look, I know that you're upset about that whole situation that happened at the meeting, and if it's worth anything...I'm sorry for not stopping the queen from seeing you."

Ronde didn't respond but there was no noise coming from the house, so I assume that he was listening to her.

"I thought that you would be happy to see your...queen again but I was wrong, I didn't know that seeing her would be too much for you to bear. I just thought that you should know it wasn't my intention to make you upset. I just wanted to see you happy and smile next to her."

She walks away from the door and towards us. "Guys just give him time, he'll come out eventually."

But as soon as she said that a loud noise was coming from the house. Suddenly the door flung open revealing Ronde, but he only had pants on. That when I noticed the scars all over his body, they were not there when he was a dragon.

He didn't say anything he just stared at us, but by his facial expression, he was still upset.

Astrid spoke, "Ronde-"

He cut her off, "Don't, just don't. You shouldn't involve yourself in my business, I don't care if we are close. Stay away from me and leave me alone!" After he said that he gasps, "I'm sor... look Just go...I don't want to talk about it any further. I'm going back inside."

That wasn't the response that I was expecting, he was going back inside the house looking even sadder than before.

"HOLD ON!" Yelled Snotlout.

Ronde had his hand on the doorknob but looked over towards Snotlout.

"What was the point of coming all the way out here for almost 2 days straight trying to get you out of this smelly house if you're going to say that nonsense! And now to find out that you were with them and you upset because you couldn't talk to one of them? Get off your butt and stop mopping around!"

Ronde closes his eyes before responding with, "This has nothing to do with you. Just shut up and mind your own business."

Snotlout wasn't having any of that, "Oh, look am upset because I was afraid to talk to someone wah. Grow up! It was your fault your upset no one else so don't get upset at us for trying to get you out of this house that was given to you by us!"

Ronde got even more upset and giving Snotloud a series glare, "You have no idea what you're talking about! Just shut up!"

"Snotlout stop talking," I said.

"Why are you defending him? He doesn't have enough respect for you or Astrid for him to talk to you like that! All this mopping and crying about how upset he is meaningless! I don't care if he's upset about this, he needs to learn that he's our guess and those who don't respect us get knockout!

"Meaningless..."

"Snotlout for once in your life just listen ok, he is upset not because of us, he's angry because-"

_(Creeeeeeeeek...)_

We all look over to see where the creaking noise who's coming from and it was Ronde pulling on the doorknob. The door was about to break. And it looks like there's was steam coming off of him.

"Meaningless."

He continues to pull on the door until it finally broke into pieces. The steam around his body became more apparent. He finally looked over towards our direction.

"WHAT DO YOU KNOW OF MEANINGLESS!" He yelled and leap towards us and landed near Snotlout yelling.

"SPEND MOST OF YOUR LIFE KNOWING YOUR LIFE DOESN'T BELONG TO YOU! WATCH YOUR OWN FATHER TEAR YOU APART DAY AFTER DAY FOR THE SAKE OF YOUR OWN HOME AND PEOPLE! THEN COME TO THE REALIZATION THAT NO MATTER WHAT YOU DO YOU CAN'T SEE AWAY OUT OF YOUR OWN BIRTHRIGHT! THEN IMAGINE ALL THAT TIME YOU SPENT, ALL THE SUFFERING YOU WENT THROUGH WAS FOR NOTHING BECAUSE OF AN ACCIDENT THAT WAS OUT OF YOUR CONTROL! WAKE UP IN A DIFFERENT FORM UNABLE TO CONTROL YOURSELF THEN WATCH YOUR OWN FATHER TRY TO TAKE YOUR LIFE ONLY BECAUSE HE COULDN'T RECOGNIZE YOU! NOWHERE TO GO, NO ONE TO HELP! SO, TELL ME WHAT HAS MORE MEANING THEN TRYING TO FIND A PLACE THAT YOU CAN CALL HOME!"

Then all of a sudden, the steam around his body disappear and his eyes were wide from realization. He fell on his knees and was shaking looking at the ground, "Home..."

Snotlout and the twins were almost freaking out.

He looks down towards his hand and tears began forming in his eyes, "She...she knew...it was me and yet...why couldn't I control myself? For the second time in my life, I had an opportunity to show her that it was me, but my emotions stopped me again...why?"

He then looked up towards us and saw how frightened everyone was. He quickly got up and took a few steps away from us. "No...no, no I.. I Can't...go back and fix it. That was my only opportunity to see her...to see them and I blew it again."

He places his hands on top of his head and had a very horrified look on his face, "And now she only can remember me as a monster other than her deceased son..."

Astrid slowly walked towards him and said, "Ronde just calm down."

He wasn't listening and he continues to back away from us until he was at the edge of the cliff. He looks down towards the open ocean and back to us. He isn't going to do what I think he going to do, is he?

He did, he jump off the cliffside.

Everyone gasped and ran towards the cliff Astrid quickly hopped on Stormfly. But before she took off a shadow loomed over us, I turned around to see Ronde as the Chimera Dragon looked over us with tears in his eyes. He looked down at us for a moment then flew off in another direction towards some part of the island.

"Ronde wait!" I yelled, but he continues to fly away from us.

"How did he know that that dragon was there and was going to catch him?" Snotlout asked.

"Not now we need to find him. Astrid sees if you can find him with Stormfly's sense of smell. Snotlout, Ruffnut, and Tuffnut stay here just in case he comes back."

"So basically, what we've been doing?" Tuffnut said.

"Yes, I and Fishlegs will search in the air. When you find him created a flare for all of us to see. "

**{2 hours later}**

Astrid(POV)

Nothing, 2 hours of searching and yet nothing. The sun was over the horizon nearly close to fading giving the sky an orange color. Stormfly lead me around the forest and what we had discovered was that the trees all around us had claw markings all over it, and these were recent. It seems he did get here a few days ahead of us and in his frustration, he clawed these trees. I didn't think that he would be so upset. I thought that he wanted to see his mother. I should have stopped it.

Suddenly Stormfly squawked at me to get my attention. "What wrong?" I asked, then she made a warbling sound and made a gesture for me to fly with her. I climb on her back and she took off towards the sky. She flew the side of the island where the beach was. As she was flying, I noticed something on the beach it was some sort of object moving around slowly. It was the same color as the beach, but something was off the more I stared at it. Then something weird happened the color around the object change color. That when I realized what it might be.

"Ronde, I think we found him." I was relieved that he was still on the island but now what should I do? Should I tell the others that I found him, or should I just go down there myself and see if I could see what was wrong with him?

I know It's best to see the other's and tell them that I found him, but this could be the last time I see him if he decided to leave the island.

I signaled Stormfly to go towards the beach. She landed a few feet away from him. And from this distance, I can see the outline of a dragon and it looks like he was just staring at the open ocean. I slowly approach him and then I was on his side.

"Ronde?"

He didn't do anything, he just stood there still nearly invisible. But then suddenly the color around his body began to shift back to their normal color. He wasn't trying to hide his color anymore, but he wasn't looking at me he was still looking over towards the horizon with tears in his eyes.

"Ronde I'm sorry, I know you're mad at me for not stopping the queen from seeing you."

He didn't move at all or even acknowledge that I was there.

"I know that you don't want to talk to me but please listen, I understand why your upset with us. You didn't want to see your queen in the manner that it happened. And we should have stopped it.

He continues to stare at the open ocean. It seems he's not listening to me. I don't know what to do. He seems unresponsive right now.

I looked over to him one more time before going back to Stormfly, I'm not sure if the others can help but it's better then what I can do right now. But I heard a voice behind me.

"I'm not mad at you."

I turned around to see he moved slightly but still staring towards the ocean, but he continues with, "I'm upset with myself for how I acted towards you and my reaction with my...with my..."

"Your mother," I finished his sentence.

He slightly flinched when I said that but then he said, "Yes," he pauses trying to compose himself, "I thought that seeing them would put my mind at ease so I could finally move on. But it had the opposite effect, I actually wanted to go with them, back home so we could be a family again, to laugh, to fight and coming together for family meetings like we always did. But I can't do that anymore more with them, it been too long to go back there. They won't accept me like this regardless if I can change back."

Now he looks towards the ground, "But somehow she knew it was me. My grandmother is the only person that truly knows what happened to me even though she doesn't know if I'm alive or not. But she must have told her about me out of guilt, but I doubt she believed her at first. But my mother did see me as a dragon before I ran away. My grandmother must have described what I look like, there's aren't any dragons that look like me so she must have made the connection when she saw me at the docks."

I don't know what to say to make him feel better. For all I know I could just make it worse.

He sighed heavily, "I didn't want her to see me like this, I would rather let her think that I'm dead than as a monster in her eyes."

That comment shocked me, "Don't you think that going a little too far?"

"No, you saw how they acted, still as prideful as the day I left and still as joyful as if I didn't leave. You saw my mother she was so happy before she saw me and now, she probably crying her heart out knowing that her son grew up like this for 7 years. But people move on with their lives."

He paused and repeated himself, "People move on with their lives..."

"Ronde are you okay?" I asked concerned

"It's ironic, that all I've been doing all these years and were has that gotten me? An unstable mess of a former person."

What is he talking about? "What do you mean?"

For the first time, he looked at me and then back the ocean. "It was a sunset like this back on the island I ran away to. It had been 2 weeks since I ran away from home and I was feeling homesick and worried about those who I had loved. But then my adopted father was looking for me because it was late, could you believe that? Even dragons have a bedtime for their young. But when he found me, he questions why I was out that late and I told him. The dragons on that island didn't believe me when I said I was human. The only proof that I had that I at least had contact with people was the boat that I stole."

"The dragons who raised me also didn't believe me, it was hard not to talk to anyone about my feelings or my problems because no one would believe me. So, I just repressed those feelings just to move on. But once I met you guys and when I found out that you were constantly trying to find out about my past I tried to stop you because I was afraid you guys knew about me, you'll reject me. I can't...live with that feeling again, people that I have come close to liking rejecting me because of what I am."

'That how he feels about us?'

He then stared at his claws, "But by repressing those feelings I tend to get upset easily when it comes to my past. So I tried to distract myself for 7 years by learning what my body can do, writing in my journal, going to island to island putting myself in a situation to deal with and was difficult to get out of or fighting the Dragon Hunters just so I would have something to do so I wouldn't feel so sad. I was being selfish by doing that, using others so I wouldn't think about myself, what a fool I've been."

After hearing that I walked on the beach until I was next to him. I sat down next to him and said, "I wouldn't call it selfish, but it is unhealthy."

"Call it what you will, it the truth." He responded.

I guess the first step is to admit it, what should I do now? "Ronde is there anything that I can do to make you feel better?"

He was quiet for a moment then he looked down towards me, "How much do you know about my past?"

I was confused

"I won't get mad; I just need to know before I make my next decision."

I was wondering what he meant by that, but I told him everything that I gained through the past few weeks. About his parents, Kindle and the island he grew up in. He didn't look surprised at all.

"Is that all?" He asked me.

'I think so, that was everything that I learned from him and Fishlegs.' I thought to myself. But then I remember something back when we were on his ship. So, I asked, "Ronde do you remember what happened after we escaped the Bog burgers?"

He thought for a moment then looked frustrated, "Barely anything I don't know what happened I remember telling you that I was the night fury but then after that nothing. What happened? Was I knocked out by something?"

"Yes, you were hit by a dart and the effect didn't kick in until you were explaining yourself to us," I explain

"I don't remember any of that; did I act strangely?"

"Again yes and no, you didn't do anything out of the ordinary but you were rambling about being excited about going back to your home to see your mother, sister and I believe you also mentioned your mentor."

His eyes slightly widened, "I did? What else did say?"

He didn't lie to me at this moment so I should do the same. "You didn't until I asked you something."

"You ask me something? Why don't I remember this? What did you ask me?" he sounded a little more frustrated.

"I asked you why you run away."

He looks slightly angry but then he just sighed, "There no point being angry, what done is done. What did I tell you?"

"You told me that your friend bit you and you were poisoned and close to dying. Your father killed your friend in front of you and your grandmother did this to you."

He looked towards the ocean, "I see, then I guess there no point anymore."

"What do you mean by that?" I asked concerned.

He didn't respond he just stood up and walked towards Stormfly. He growls something to her, and she responded with a growl herself. He then faced me, "Astrid bring the remaining Dragon Riders here I have something to do. And don't worry I'll still be here."

"What are you trying to do? You want them all to see you like this? Are you sure?"

"All my life I've been trying to avoid my true feelings, but I think that what holding me back now. I'm still not ready to face my mother and go back to my home but I need to start somewhere, right?" He had a small smile on his face when he said that. But even I could tell that he was nervous about something.

"Just go Astrid, I'll be here wait for you to come back."

I got on top of Stormfly and look at him, "I shouldn't be too long."

He slowly nodded at me, "Alright."

And then I and Stormfly flew off to get the others.

Ronde(POV)

As I watched Astrid and Stormfly fly away my mind was racing.

Every fiber of my body was screaming at me to fly away from this island, get away from the others and start a new life.

But that what I've been doing for the last 7 years and where has that gotten me? I need to change and start fresh. I need to do this so I can feel free once more. This burden that I been carrying needs to go away before I do something that is going to get me killed. I didn't mind helping all those that crossed my path but I was using their situations to help me forget about my pain.

I need to tell them how it all started, my Origin, my history.

**(15 minutes later)**

I was staring at sunset around the horizon. It's almost nighttime, the stars are more visible now and the temperatures were being to drop slightly. Just then I heard the sound of wings flapping in the air. The heard several thumps behind me, I didn't bother turning around I already knew it was them.

"Astrid he still-"

"He knows I think he's really to tell the other two."

Before I had the opportunity to respond, Snotlout yelled, "Alright, where is he? I see the dragon but were that outcast!?"

"Still calling me an outcast? So, you were faking being nice to me on the ship." I said without turning my head towards them.

"Oh, hiding in front of that dragon eh, turn around and face me so I can put you in your place!"

I sighed and then turned around facing him and when I did, he looked confused and came closer looking around my body.

"I said face me you coward!" He yelled.

I moved in a position where I was possible to move my neck and I moved closer to his face. He was scared by my expression, he looked scared when I started to open my mouth and said, "I am facing you, you moron."

He fell backward from shock and tried to scramble away from me while looking at the others, "Did that dragon just talk? Where is that outcast? DID THAT DRAGON EAT HIM!?" He screamed while pointing at me.

So, he really is all muscle and no action, or at least the things that he does can cause others to possible get killed. Well, I already talked so I might as well finish it. "Well then, might as well say it now, no I did eat him. I am him Snotlout."

He looked even more horrified and said, "Oh my gods! He's a Lycanwing!" He quickly ran towards Hookfang and climb on his back, "Come on Hookfang let's go before he bites me!"

I was confused, What the heck is a Lycanwing? Is that some sort of dragon? And he thinks that I'm going to bite him? "I don't know what this thing you call a Lycanwing but I'm not that."

He was still anxious to get away from me by trying to force his dragon to fly off. But then the Nightmare lit itself on fire and Snotlout jump off of him and ran towards the water to cool himself down.

While the others were laughing at him the dragon which I believe his name was Hookfang tried to get my attention and growled, ("I'm sorry for the misunderstanding, he can get easily confused.")

I slightly laughed and told him, ("It's fine, he is the 6th Scaleless that knows about my abilities, plus this interaction was quite funny.")

I somewhat find it funny that it can take a dragon a few minutes or a few days to find out that I'm not what I appear to be while I'm human. Is it my scent? My appearance? Or they can feel a connection whenever I'm around them? I blame that Bewilderbeast for that.

I told and showed Toothless during the day I cleaned the Great Hall. Stormfly figured it out during the freezing rain incident. Hookfang was following me into the woods after I got out of Gothi home and saw me.

But anyway, "I know that is may come as a shock but now you know the reason why I ran away from my home."

Snotlout got out of the water, and looked at me and said, "You can't be that outcast this is some sort of trick!"

"I am not surprised that your shocked, but I am surprised that you believe that I would try to trick you. What reason really would I try to waste my time trying to prank you? You wanted to know the reason why I ran away, well this is why."

"This is impossible." He muttered underneath his breath.

"THIS IS AWESOME!" yelled both of the twins in unison. And both ran towards me bombarding you with questions. "How are you a dragon?" Scream the male, "Are their more of you?"

Astrid then grabs the horns on top of their helmets and move them away from me. After she was done she quickly turned towards me and asked, "Ok, we brought them and now they know. What are you going to do now?"

I lower my head and looked back towards the ocean. 'Am I really ready for this? To tell them my history' I thought to myself.

I looked back at the group waiting for me to say something. "As my father said, it's better to rip off the patch now than later."

I looked down towards them, "One of the reasons why I wanted you all to come was for me to see their reaction when they saw me like this. You guys are the first people to know about me other than my grandmother. And now I think it's time."

Hiccup then Asked, "Time for what? You're not thinking about leaving, are you?"

"Honestly, I'm surprised that you even want me here at all, even after all the trouble I caused. But no, that not what I'm going to do."

"Then what are you doing?" Asked Hiccup

I looked up towards the darken orange sky, It wouldn't be long until nightfall. I looked towards the group and sighed, "I think it's about time I tell you all the truth about me."

Astrid was confused and asked again, "What are you talking about?"

I looked towards the ground, 'love, rejection, joy, fear, loyalty and homesickness, these feelings are what I'm feeling right now. I miss my home; I miss being around people that cared about me but the fear of being rejected outweighs the feeling of returning home. I'm just scared about how they'll react both here and home. But that let me know that in my heart I can consider this place close to home with people I grew attached to.

"I need to tell you all about my history during my childhood and what happened before I had met you all. I need to tell you how I came to be as a dragon."

Astrid, Hiccup, and Fishlegs were wide-eyed as I said this but before they had a chance to respond I told them, "I will meet you all in the Great Hall later tonight when the majority of the people are asleep. Please bring only those who are trustworthy to hold a secret." I then looked over towards Hiccup and asked, "Hiccup, please bring your mother Valka, I have a few things to say that she can confirm."

Then I turned around to face Astrid, "Astrid, you probably didn't know this, but I hate to beg others for help unless it's important but..."

"What is it?" She asked.

I hate asking people to spend money for me but..."I... need clothes...please."

I was flustered and angry, but I had nothing now other than my book that Fishlegs was carrying and the boat I stole from the Dragon Hunters. I needed something to cover myself. The pants that I had on earlier I stole when someone was dry cleaning them outside.

She had a blank expression for a moment but then she spoke, "Alright but this is the last time. What would you like for me to do with them?"

"Just hold them until I come to get them while you're all in the Great Hall. Just remember what I said tonight while everyone is asleep. Goodbye for now."

I open my wings and flew off towards the other side of the island I just needed some space to prepare myself. This is only the first step I just hope that I'll have enough courage in the future to face my mother or go back home. But not today I still don't have the confidence yet, but I will get there soon.

**{4 hours later}**

Astrid(POV)

It's completely dark outside and the majority of the people of Berk are asleep. The people Ronde asked for were also here in the Great Hall with us. We also brought Eret and Gobber. Hiccup's mother was a little anxious about this, she knows that Ronde knows her, but she thinks he's mistaken her for someone else but at this point, I doubt that he is.

We all sat down waiting for him to appear, but nothing happened for the past hour. I was starting to get a little worried. I place the new clothes I bought for him a couple of tables away from us while I was talking to the others.

"Ugh!" Yelled Snotlout, "I couldn't have to have my beauty sleep by now! Where is he!?"

"Just give him time." Fishlegs said, "he's telling us his background and you know he's angry before about anybody trying to find out about his past, right now he could be just trying to gather as much courage as he can before facing us."

Snotlout scuffed to Fishleg's statement and said, "Yeah, well I believe he ran away again and just did this to waste our time."

"Snotlout just stop talking," I said

"Fine, I'll just go back to my house and go to sleep, come on Hookfang."

Hookfang stayed in the same position.

Snotlout was getting upset, "Hookfang let go now."

Hookfang snarled and hiss at him.

"Hookfang I just wanted to slee-"

**(SLAM!)**

the door of the hall just closed, and I thought that it was Ronde for a moment. But when I looked over, I saw nothing. Was he invisible? That when I noticed that the clothes, I bought him were gone. He just snuck in without anyone else noticing him. I quickly got up and ran towards the door and opened it, but I didn't see any signs of him.

I tried to call out, "Ronde?"

...

I tried again, "Ronde if your there I wanted to let you know that you don't have to tell us your past. We can try something else, but you don't need to tell us if you don't need to."

I didn't hear a response, so I just walked back inside.

"I'm not doing this for you guys."

I turned around to see if he was there, but I saw nothing. But then I looked a bit closer to see a pair of glowing eyes looking at me.

"I'm doing this for myself, I need to let go of my doubts about my history and myself and tried to express my feelings that I've been holding on for almost all of my life." He told me.

"Are you sure? We won't judge you it's just, are you ready telling us everything about you."

"Yes, perhaps this way I'll be ready to face my mother again and maybe return home in the future. But now I need to do this." He responded.

He was still invisible but the outline around his body was more apparent. Then he began walking off into the outside of the hall into the forest. "I'll be back in a few minutes I just need to change and put on these clothes."

He then disappeared from my sight, after a few moments I walked back into the hall to inform the others of what going on.

Ronde(POV)

I walked inside the woods and waited for a few moments to see if anything was around. I didn't see or smell anything, so I prepared myself to change back.

This sensation is painful, and it gets worse the older I get. Hearing your own body change is not pleasant at all, my bones changing size, muscles tearing apart and then fixing themselves, feeling parts of my body disappearing and finally my senses are going haywire across my body. But once the change is completed it takes just a few moments for everything to return normal.

Once it was over myself sense came back and the first thing, I could feel was pain from the change and the cold air. The heat that I stored was gone and I quickly tried to put on the clothes that Astrid bought me. Some sort of green long sleeve shirt with dark pants and boots, it was warm when I put it on.

I sat down on the ground rubbing my arms tried to warm up, 'to this day I still don't understand why is it so cold here? It's spring!' I thought to myself.

The pain somewhat dyed down, I can change back in forth one more time today but that it and I have to show the people that they brought that what I'm saying is true.

I looked up towards the sky and saw the many stars in the night sky. I don't know why it took me so long to find this out but the star's here a kind of different than the ones back when I was living inside of the Foreverwing nest. The distance I've traveled must be massive.

I got up and began walking out of the forest.

As I was walking, I was thinking back before I first met these guys. I was only trying to protect others that were endangered. I didn't care about the affairs of other's Vikings and Warriors unless they had to do with other dragons. But when I heard about a Vikings village that had integrated dragons into their home, I couldn't believe it. But the day that I decided to let the dragon Hunters captured me on purpose so I could destroy them from the inside out the Hunters mentioned them again I knew that it might have been true.

After I stole that ship and set free the dragons, I made my way towards Berk and well the rest is history.

I made it out of the forest and into the village and took the first step towards the Great Hall. Then a second then a third, the more steps I took the more anxious I became. Am I really ready for this? To tell them everything that has happened to me? My past, my family, my heritage and my home?

'I know that I didn't do anything wrong, but my situation is very complicated to understand. Will they still want me here after this is done?'

I took the final step and now I was in front of the door.

'This will make me more comfortable around them if they know more about me and maybe give me the confidence to go back home someday. But now I just need to get everything out of my mind that I've been holding onto these years.'

I open the door slowly and enter the Great Hall.

* * *

_The young man walked inside of an unfamiliar place to him. He looked towards the group of people that he and the other had invited. They all welcome him with open arms, but he refuses to knowledge them, he had only one thing in mind, to tell them his story of origin. They all sat down on the largest table that was there within The Great Hall. He sat down near the end of the table while the others were on the opposite side. Only a few candles were lit but the light from each candle could not reach the corners with this place. Each dragon was behind their Riders staring at the boy with the utmost curiosity as the boy drew his breath and was about to speak._

* * *

Ronde(POV)

"Hel-hello, everyone..." I said nervously.

Eyes looking back at me both from humans and dragons, what are they thinking? What I'm I thinking? I shouldn't do this! Eyes full of curiosity can easily turn into eyes of burning hatred.

"Some of...you are pro-probably wondering why I've brought you guys here. And I'm here to tell you the reason why I've brought you in so late at night."

'I can't do this! But I need to get this out! I didn't do anything wrong for the past 7 years and my family history doesn't have anything to do with me. So just tell them at your own pace.'

"I need to tell you all my story of why and how I left my home and survive the 7 years I was away from there."

I looked to the group this time and said, "But before I do you need to know where it all began."

"It all started when I was 5 years old during one of the worse dragon raids that my country has ever experienced."

"Some people were killed others gravely wounded, the dragons nearly burned down almost everything that my country had and they managed to take off with so much of our food and resources that if we didn't find a way to replace everything that they managed to take the people of the five tribes that made my home would certainly die from lack of food and housing."

"My father was in a tough position to find a way to replace what was lost. Until I gave him an idea."

"You gave your father an idea?" Asked Fishlegs, "what was it?"

"I made the comparison to follow and an animal to its home to find its stash of food. I thought that if we use one of the dragons that managed to capture, we could use it to follow the other dragons to get back our stolen food, but I know now that would have been impossible."

"My father was amazed by that idea and managed to gather an army of people to find were ever the dragons took our food. He even managed to chain a dragon that we managed to capture.

"Before we had set off my father wanted me to come so I could 'witness history'. He brought me and my mother to the upcoming battle, but he left my sisters behind just in case something bad happened all of us. He leads our people towards the dragon's nest and kept me and my mother at a safe distance in the back of the fleet with my mentor at the head of the ship."

"The dragon that we captured lead us towards an island and once that my father confirmed that that was the island were the dragons came from him and our people set up weapons around the island and prepared themselves for the assault. We attacked the structure of certain points of the nest so it was a lot easier than the mountain would give out. And when it finally broke Dragons from every direction began to fly off. However, it wasn't towards us they flew out towards the open sea. Everyone was confused until the ground began to shake and the mountain was spewing lava and then a giant 6 eyed dragon came out and nearly destroyed everything and everyone on the island."

"I was horrified, I saw body's flying into the air crashing down on the ground, people on fire who quickly tried to go towards the water to put the fire out and I've seen people get crushed by the debris of rocks when the dragon came out. I would say that nearly 25% of the people that were there died during that moment that the dragons came out. And there was more when the dragon finally decided to attack us."

"But somehow during the chaos, my father was still alive and formulating the strategy to take down the dragon. And he did, my father took down that dragon by himself with a well-executed plan. He told me that he noticed that every time that the dragon was about to use its fire, he notices that a green like gas would appear in the mouth of the dragon. So he baited the dragon to follow him towards the catapult that he lit on fire and when the dragon was about to kill my father the green gas appeared again and he launched the flaming rock down the dragon throat and my father knew exactly what was going to happen next so he warned the people around him and ran towards the ocean. And the dragon...burned from the inside and died"

It was silent they did respond at all and that was just the beginning portions of my story.

Until...

"So, your father took down a Red death that was at least 100 times bigger than himself?" Asked Hiccup.

"You met my father, so you already know that he is a very wise but also a very cruel person."

Gobber then spoke up, "Hiccup you met his father? When was this?"

I answered for him and said, "Both Hiccup and Astrid met my parents during the Day of Peace meeting. My parents are...the King and Queen of my home."

I heard nearly everyone in the group gasped, then I heard Gobber asked, "Then why are you here? In fact, if I remember correctly, you're not from this side of our archipelago why travel all the way out here?"

"You will know soon enough before I continued does anyone else have any questions?"

I noticed Fishlegs eyes lit up and then said, "I can't believe I just realized this but if your parents are the king and queen of your home, doesn't that make you a prince? The next in line for king?"

I sighed I had wished that they would have overlooked that, "Yes and no, I'm am technically a prince but not next in line for the throne. I wasn't the firstborn in my family, that honor goes to my sister's. But not being the firstborn doesn't mean that you still don't have a chance to become a king."

Astrid then asked, "What do you mean?"

I looked at the group and said, "You heard my father my people can choose to vote people who in our bloodline to be the ruler of our nation or if the people think that we are unworthy they would choose a new bloodline to inherit the throne. But the children of the king and queen must pass a test during a certain age."

"A test?"

"A test to measure our intelligence and our decision making, and all of us pass. But my sisters didn't want it and neither did I but since I was the last one born the focus was on me, just in case my sisters didn't change their mind. I will tell you more during the story but first I must continue where I left off."

"After the battle was over the people who had survived went to explore the dragon nest but there was nothing except for one thing that my father found to be useful. At first, we thought it was a golden rock we could use to sell outside of our home. But it turns out it was more than that, but I'll tell you what it was later. Once the stone was loaded, we gathered the bodies of the people that had died in battle and buried them on that island and people that were injured we taken off during our ride back home."

"But when on our way home a dragon landed on my boat and the people in charge of guarding us were going to attack it. But the dragon did nothing but stared at us and we were afraid that it was going to attack and poison someone, but it didn't. The people on my boat were concerned and confused, but I didn't think it meant any harm, so I want towards the dragon when no one was looking, and my mother was busy."

"I went towards the dragon and everyone else was freaking out. Nobody got close between me and the dragon because some of them believed that if they were to get closer the dragon would have been agitated and attacked me. I and the dragon lock eye's but he didn't do anything but stare at me with curiosity. I decided to feed the dragon with food that was leftover when I gave it to him, he only ate the fish that was on the plate. But then suddenly the dragon wraps itself around my body. The guards thought that the dragon was going to attack me, but the dragon was just laying down with me between its legs and stomach."

The dragon was cuddling me around its body, and somehow, I fell asleep around the dragon.

"What kind of dragon was it?" Asked Fishlegs.

"I think you could call it a Threadtail a dragon that can secrete poison from its scales when it feels threatened. So that was one of the reasons why our guards didn't want to get me away from it."

"When we finally made it back home, we were given the shock of a lifetime, the dragons that left the nest came to our country. Everyone on the boats quickly got off and prepared themselves for battle. But every time someone went to attack the dragons, the dragons would just avoid the blow but wouldn't fight back."

"My father noticed this and tried to see if the dragons would attack him if he got to one close. Once he did the dragon didn't attack him, only examined him and my father place one of his hands out and the dragon place its snout on his hand. It was at that time my father realized that I would be possible to control a dragon by trust or fear."

"But after a few hours had passed my father told the people to not harm any of the dragons that were in our tribes or outside of them too. But my father was still in a bad position and situation."

"The children of the people that were killed during the battle had no way to provide for themselves, the lack of food that would only last all of us a month and the situation with the dragons in our home. No one could think of anything to deal with these problems. But my father came up with an idea that could deal with 2 out of 3 problems while my mother tried to figure out the last one. He tried to train the dragons to obey him and when he found out how he taught some of the people he trusted the knowledge to Scout the east, north, and west of my home while people that were used to sailing would capture as much food as possible."

"My mother was trying to figure out a way to help the children and my grandma was helping the injured from the battle."

"But everything works out in the end because of the dragons helped us find food in the outlands. The sailors caught so many fish because of our Nets. And my mother found ways that the adults and children could help with building houses while feeding them."

"We managed to even integrate the dragons into our homes, by building feeding stations for them. Homes, we even hire someone to help breed the dragons. And after that, I managed to keep the dragon that was on the boat that was friendly towards me and I named him Dapper meaning brave. But my dragon had a habit of biting itself so some of the poison would mix with its saliva. But while my grandmother was creating an anti-venom, she created a mixture that has multiple healing properties."

"During the years dragons had become completely integrated into my home and that golden rock turns out to be a dragon egg, or more specifically the dragon egg of the giant dragon that my father killed."

A Red Death egg?"

"Yes, but something was different about this dragon, the coloring was off and it was easily scared but it was not aggressive at all. My grandmother had no choice but to take care of it because she lived in a very open place and if that dragon did grow into the size of its mother it would be disastrous but when it first hatches it was probably the size of an average adult male. Speaking of which my grandmother discovered that the dragon was male and that might have something to do with its coloring and behavior."

"But during those years I was also learning combat with my mentor. I was 6 and a half at the time but I had an incident involving one of my peers."

"The children that were orphaned hated my father because of the battle that took their parent's lives, so since they knew I was his son they would pick on me and call me out of my name. One day in the middle of practice my mentor put me up against one of the kids I had the most problems with. He knew this so the lesson was to stay calm under extreme emotion. I managed to beat him and pass the lesson, but he said something that hit a nerve and we fought seriously. I got the upper hand on him, but I was so angry that I was beating him scentless, I remember seeing blood on my hands and my mentor pulling me away from him forcefully. My father saw the whole thing and for the first time I saw in years, he smiled at me. He saw potential in me in my fit of rage, but he thought that my mentor was being too soft on me, so he decided to train me himself."

"The next 3 years were hell to me. My father constantly beat me until I was a bloody mess 5 times a week for hours until I was 10. Sometimes hand to hand combat other times with weapons."

I took off my shirt so they could see the many scars all of my body. The ones who didn't know gasped.

"But within those 3 years, my mother tried to stop him from being so abusive towards me. My mother and father came to an agreement that my mentor was allowed to train me once a week. However, the time I spend with my mentor was only for physical therapy with a few training sessions."

Then Astrid spoke up, "Why didn't your mother just completely stop him?"

"My father is very stubborn and he wanted me to either to become a king that was better then himself or become the strongest crown guard that was able to protect whoever was next in line, rather it would be my sisters or mother or if something were to happen to them my father twin brother, my uncle."

"Your father has a brother?" Asked Hiccup.

"Yes, however I didn't see him during the Day of Peace meeting, he's my father adviser so I don't know why he wasn't there. Anyway, my mother wanted it to stop but she knew that her mother, my grandmother could heal me within a few hours. He could heal me physically, but nothing could fix what my father has done to me mentally."

"But that was happening until I was 10. Most of you know what I'm about to say."

"The final days I spent at my home was the same until my father one day announced that we as a family needed to have a meeting to discuss the future of our home and ourselves.

I was happy during that time because that meant that my father would be too busy to train me for a few days while preparing for this meeting. So, I spent the last few days with my grandma and my mentor. I remember she was discussing something that had to do with dragon Anatomy and my mentor was having a deep discussion about if I were to become the king of my home or not. But I didn't want to become a king or crown guard.

"Why didn't you?" Asked Hiccup.

"The responsibility of other people other than yourself, the choices that you make could affect others. You could ruin someone's life just with a simple mistake. I never wanted that, I want to be responsible for my own life, my own choices and not other people's. That why during all those times like on my island or when the Bog Burglars raided this village, I put you guys on the least dangerous role while I was on the most dangerous. I don't want to be responsible for another person getting hurt, that was part of the reason why I snapped when I saw Astrid hurt when the Bog Burglars came.

Valka then spoke up, "You saw Astrid get hurt? Where were you during the attack? I didn't see you anywhere."

"I...I was around and...you did...see..me," I responded nervously.

"No, I didn't, I would have remembered you, what you've done I would have easily remembered you." She responded almost angrily.

I don't know why but I was scared, "like I..I...s-said I was around...and you did see me. I know it's doesn't make sense right now, but you'll understand soon. Just let me finish my story, ok?"

She gave me a blank stare, "Fine go on then."

I don't think she truly cares about me, not that I blame her. I put these guys through so much I don't blame her for not treating me nicely. But she saved my life before and yet she doesn't even know that it was me.

"Everyone that was a part of my family was invited, even my dragon. But during the discussion, my dragon friend was acting strangely and suddenly he was trying to attack my father I quickly tried to stop him but then he bit me around my torso and flung me to the other side of the room. When that happened, my father took advantage of the situation and cut my friend's neck, all I remember after that was seeing blood sprayed out of my friend's neck and my father with blood all over himself. But the worst was the building burning Sensation that was spreading across my body that was getting worse with each moment that passed. I was poisoned by the bite."

"But I thought that you said that your dragon can only secrete poison from its skin," Fishlegs stated.

"I did but remember I did just note that my dragon had a habit of biting itself because it's poison makes it skin itchy. So, when he bit me some of the poison was still in his mouth." I answer.

"I don't really remember much after that just a burning sensation. But I believe that when my grandmother was trying to cure me. But I remember when I woke up, she told me that the anti-venom wasn't working for some odd reason when it had worked before. So, she tried another method which to this day I don't know what she did to me, but it had a side effect."

The others knew what I was going to say next, but the other adults were looking at me with curiosity. Gobber then asked, "What side effects what you grew a few bumps all over your body?"

I don't know how they're going to react when I say this, but I need to get it out, if I tell them this then the rest of my story should be easier to say to them.

"My grandmother...somehow turned me into a dragon."

The room was silent, the Dragon Riders were looking at me with a bit of joy and nervousness for getting it out. But the adults were...

(*Laughing*)

"Oh, boy that a real kicker," Gobber laugh.

"That poison must have made you hallucinate. But it made you think that you turn into a dragon is priceless." The muscular man who I think his name is Eret laughed.

Valka just looks at me with pity, "So you did tell my son this nonsense, and the fact that he believes you..."

I stood up and said, "I know that it's hard to believe but it the truth." Then I looked to her and said, "But the fact that you stayed alive in a dragon's nest for almost 20 years it almost as unbelievable."

She looked over to Hiccup and then back to me, "So my son has told you about me."

"I knew even before I came to this island like I said before you saved my life before," I responded.

"I have never met you before." She responded

I walked towards the darkest corner of the room so no one could see what I was about to do while saying, "I may look different but it was still me that you saved almost 4 years ago and took me inside of the Bewilderbeast nest. I didn't trust you because you wore a mask but when the Your Stormcutter told me that you had worked for hours trying to keep me alive while I was unconscious I was shocked, why did a person care so much for another? Did she do it out of the kindness of her heart? Or was she planning to use me for later?"

She looked at me while I was heading towards the darkest corner in the room and said, "Your crazy, you've been researching me."

I laughed because she just reminded me of a joke, she told me while we were in the nest, "The only thing that more stubborn than a dragon sharing its food is a Viking with anger issues. am I right Valka?"

Even from this corner, I could see her eyes widened, my best guess is that she remembered telling me that joke. Then she asked, "H-how, do you know of that joke I made it up while I was..."

In the darkness, I took off my remaining clothes and changed. I didn't want the others to see me while it was happening. I tried my best to not scream in pain, but I am sure that the others heard it. There I was a dragon once again breathing hard to catch my breath. I can change back one more time but that is, if I go any further, I could rupture something. Once this is done, I need to sleep to recover more quickly.

"Hey, are you ok?" Asked Gobber while getting up from the table, "what was that noise?"

"Don't come any closer." I nearly yelled, "I'll come to you just stay seated please."

I don't know Gobber to well to trust him, he still a Viking and I know that they still have the instinct to attack anything that they see as a threat.

He steps back said, "Ok...no need to get angry with me las."

Good, he didn't see me like this, now I need to change the color of my scales and slowly approach them to sit back where I was or at least close to there.

I did just that while speaking out loud, "Life is full of mysteries that things that we cannot understand or explain. We just have to live with it and move on. But my situation is different, my grandmother somehow made the impossible possible with me on accident."

The adults were looking around confused, they couldn't see me. But they were looking around the area where I am talking.

"Where are you las? It's like you're over there but you not there," Gobber said.

I was in the area where I was sitting at but I couldn't sit back on the table with them. "You're not crazy for what you are about to see next. Valka please pay attention I'm going to need you to explain some parts of my story."

She looked around and was confused, "I don't even know what you're even talking ab-"

She cut herself off when I finally revealed myself from hiding. The other dragon Riders didn't look surprised to see how the adults acted. Scared out of their minds.

I looked over to the adult's Males of the group Eret and Gobber and said, "Still think I was hallucinating?"

They both were freaking out, the one called Eret fell from the table, Gobber just stood back.

Then I looked over towards Valka, she had a looked of shock on her face, but I said, "Still Think I'm crazy?"

"Yo-you was this dragon this entire time? The one I even recused all those years ago?"

I nodded, "Yes, I am sorry for hiding it from you of all people, but I was scared to tell the others."

She had her hand over her mouth and looked towards her son, "So you were telling me the truth. I didn't think that this was possible."

"That my grandmother for you," I responded

I know that you have questions, but I'll like to continue my story.

They all nodded while looking at me.

"I believe that I may have been a few hours since the incident at the family meeting, but I woke up feeling somehow better but at the same time I felt something off. It took a while, but my grandmother finally came into the room she had blood on her apron I assume it may have come from me. But when I tried to see what was wrong with her, she steps away from me. I was confused about why so I called out to her and that when I noticed my voice was different and I couldn't speak properly. When she finally spoke to me, she asked if it was me. I was very confused, and I nodded my head yes to show her. She hugs me and told me that what she did to me was her fault. She gave me a mirror and I saw that I was a dragon. I freak out but she managed to calm me down and she told me that she had to tell my parents. I was scared at first but she was going to be to protect me, so I let her carry me back to my house. She leads me into my room and told me to wait."

"Around 30 minutes had gone by and yet she hadn't returned. But the person we hired for cleaning came into my room and saw me and alerted the guards. I hid underneath my bed when they came. But after that, my father had dismissed them all and then flipped over my bed to find me. He...kick me away from my bed so I had nowhere to run or hid."

I began to tear up just my remembering those moments, "And M-My's father raised his sword to strike me down. I remember trying to call towards my mother who was watching the whole thing from my door, but she couldn't understand me. But she did ask my father to stop, I was happy at that moment because she was giving me a chance but then my father was about to swing his sword at me and then my instincts kicked. It took a while for me to remember but the person I saw in front of me was no longer my father it was just a person who was trying to kill me. Everything was a blur, but I remember dashing and cutting my father's leg with my claws, then the moment he lost his footing I knocked him down by tackling him and knocking the sword out of his hand."

I don't know why but when I lose myself like that, I have an intention to kill and yet I didn't know why that I didn't kill my father while I was like that. I'm happy that I didn't but something prevented me from doing it. So, my instincts lead me to flee, I jump off my father and I jump out of the window and open my wings. I was gliding through the air as I did it before. But while I was in the air my senses came back to me and I lost my balance while flying. I was fine when I landed but I didn't know what to. Should I go back and try to convince my parents that I was me? To find my grandmother? But the more I thought about it the more it seems to put the others endanger."

"Why did you think that?" Asked Fishlegs.

"Because I knew that there wasn't another dragon that looked like me and the fact that I saw my father blood on my hands I knew he would be looking for me. My father would have killed me or just kept me as his pet then put me in his dragon-like army."

I couldn't hold in my tears, "I didn't want that...I just wanted to go back home to see my mother again...to hold her, to hear her voice telling me that everything was going to be ok...but she saw what I did to my father. I knew that she would only see me as a monster than her son. So, I decided to get away from them and tried to get an island that I could live on. I don't know how to fly so I just decided to steal a boat."

But I ran into some kids that were somewhat torturing me. I escaped but I don't want to explain how I did..."

'Don't think it about just tell them the remaining part of the story.'

"I managed to sneak inside of the docks and pier but the only ship that wasn't completely secure was the biggest one that they had. But I manage to get the ship moving by cutting some rope and bring up the anchor of the ship and I was sailing."

"I knew how far the destination was, but I didn't think about food or water. I was sailing for 3 days straight, the ship had barely any freshwater and I couldn't eat some of the food because I would just throw it up. But I manage to find a cave behind a waterfall to put the ship in. But before I pull inside, I wanted to find some food on the island. But after a while, I was too weak and tired, so I rested underneath a tree. But when I woke up, I was surrounded by dragons. I didn't know what to do I thought that they were going to attack me because I was in their territory. I was having a panic attack but a Nadder told me to calm down. Her voice was calm and smoothing and then I began to become less anxious. But then I realized that the dragon spoke to me."

"They all were asking me questions like where was I from what was I doing there and other questions. I tried to answer them the best way that I could and then I told them that I was human. They didn't believe me and then the Nadder must have noticed that I hadn't eaten a while, so she regurgitated some food for me and before I had a chance to complain about it my body acted on its own and I swallowed the food. She invited me over towards her home with her mate and children. One thing led to another and they became my new family."

"It was 2 years I spent on that island, and one day my adopted mother told us that she was pregnant and needed to get off the island to have her new babies. During this time the pairs of dragons began to get off the island to have their babies. I took advantage of this and went island searching on my own. When I found an island, I noticed a girl practicing her ax-throwing skills at a few trees I didn't know why but I wanted to watch her, and it irritated me because her form was off. But I manage to make a sound and she discovered me and tried to attack me, but I manage to pin her down. I wasn't going to harm her but when I saw the fear on her face I hesitated and decided to let her go. But the moment my back was turned she threw a pair of bolas at my feet and I couldn't move. She was going to kill me but then she hesitates. Suddenly she cuts the rope around my arms and legs and then she runs off back towards her village. That girl was named Kindle."

"I didn't know what to do so I looked around to see if there was a cave nearby. I found one where no person could reach and slept in theirs. The next day I found the girl again over the edge of a cliff just staring out towards the ocean. There was no one around us so I decided to go near her, she didn't have any weapons on her so when she finally noticed I was behind her she slightly panicked but she quickly just gave up. I didn't want to seem as a threat to her so I just place my head on her lap and see what she would do. She suddenly was petting me and then we formed a bond after that."

"Over the past few weeks, we played with one another. And within those weeks she discovered how smart I was, she knew that I could understand everything she said when we first met on the cliffed but she didn't know how much. I do remember taking her flying and I help her with her training, her form was off, and she was only using her arms and not her whole body. But the more we hung out the more dangerous it became. She and I both knew that if we were to get caught, I would be killed, and she would be banished. I didn't want her to go through that, so I tried to explain myself thought body language and she understood I left her island and went back home."

"I really did like her, but I couldn't just take her off the island to live with me, she had a home and so did I. But I do miss her every day and I hope one day I could go back and see her."

"A few months go by and I decided to leave the island that I was living on with my adopted parents. I needed to explore the world for myself and my parents understood that. I flew for a few weeks and I came across another dragon nest. They seem to be friendly, so I decided to stay within the nest, but trouble happened."

"The same species of dragons that my father took down was also a part of this nest and she was the queen. The queen knew that she couldn't control me so she threatened me that if I didn't become a part of the next raid, she would kill the dragons that I grew close to."

I had no choice but to become a part of a dragon raid.

"You raided a village!?" Yelled Snotlout.

"I had no choice but to," I responded.

"Everyone has a choice, just tell those that their leader was trying to kill them!"

I sighed, "The dragons were under her influence even if I did tell them they would just deny it. It was either say no and watch my acquaintances died or raid a village and made sure there were no casualties."

"My job was to take down their weapons and catapults and I successfully did that without harming anyone. We had enough food to satisfy the queen, so we retreated. But one of the dragons was shot down and another tried to rescue him. It was a domino effect we lost focused and 9 other dragons went down including our leader. I tried to help but I was also captured. We were kept alive for to reason they needed a dragon to train their children and they wanted to study me because they never have seen a dragon-like me before. They cage us and only fed us once a day."

"The village that we raided was the Meatheads tribe. That why that chief recognizes me. They took me out in a place similar to your training area to put other Vikings to face me to see how I would react. But all I showed them was I had no interest in them. They tried to attack me, but I would either move or catch something they threw at me. They had deemed me worthless so during the time of the final trial they were going to use me for the dragon to kill to whoever was the worthiest in their village."

"But each and every time that they took me in and out I would see the contraptions that open and close the doors and they also had an emergency lever just in case if a person were to get caught within the cage. I came up with a plan that worked during the final trial and I managed to free every dragon but one."

"This dragon was a Sand Wrath and she was our leader during the raid. But she broke her wing during the raid when we got captured. I carried her with all my strength and we barely escaped. However, we only escaped The Village I wasn't strong enough to carry her off the island, so we hid inside of a cove with caves all over the place."

"She wanted me to leave her alone because she wasn't used to others helping her. Her pride got in the way but eventually, she swallowed her pride and allowed me to help her. I tried to straighten out her wings about using Vines and sticks the way my grandmother taught me and brought her food when she needed it. This lasted for almost a week I didn't want to leave her just in case the Meatheads came. But she did a 180 on me she was much more friendly towards me and one night we were talking about our feelings and I understand why she was so prideful before. I told everything I been through in my life except for the parts that I was human. And we slept next to each other that night."

The next morning was the worst morning of my life. For the first time, I somehow changed back into a human while I was sleeping. The female sand Wrath didn't recognize me and attack me causing those 3 claws marks you saw on my chest. I remember acting in anger I don't know how by my anger triggered something in me and I changed back into a dragon roared very loudly and was about to attack her, but the pain got to me and I fainted."

"Wait, now that I think about it where are all your scars? I don't see them on you anymore," asked Fishlegs.

"I there still there underneath my scales, the scars do heal well but they are quickly hidden underneath a new growth of scales. I basically have 2 layers of skin." I answered.

"After I fainted the female sand Wrath was trying to wake me up inside of a cave to warn me that the Meatheads were coming. I quickly got on top of her and covered her with my wings and tried my best to camouflage myself with her underneath me. It worked but I was weak from blood loss. She tried to ask me a question about me but I was weak and fell asleep. But while I was asleep the dragons from the nest found us and carried us back to it. I woke up inside of a cave next to the Sand Wrath and my cut had fully healed. She was happy and apologized to me. I spent the next few days inside of the nest until the day the queen took things too far."

"What happened," asked Hiccup.

She was about to kill a family of dragons because they didn't bring enough food for her. But before she had a chance to, I blasted her with a fire blast. I challenge her to a fight inside of the nest, it wasn't easy, but I won by using all of the gas I had left into a single blast and blew off one of her horns. I threatened her that if she would ever harm her nest again, I would kill her by blasting the next fire down her throat. She was scared of me, so she agreed, at the moment in my life I never felt proud of putting fear into someone's heart and I hated it but it needed to be done."

After a while, I decided to leave the nest to discover more of the world. I said my goodbyes and left. I travel until a hurricane nearly swept me up, I managed to find a cave within a pair of sea stacks, but a family of Nightmares was also inside. It took some convincing to show them that I wasn't a threat, but they allow me to stay within their place until the storm blew past. After a while, I noticed that the Nightmare didn't have a mate, but two children and I asked what happened and the Nightmare explain that her mate was captured a few days before I had arrived by dragon trappers."

I knew if it happened a few days ago and they were on ships they would be too far out of my reach. I ask the dragon for directions where her mate had gone, and I followed it. It took me all day but I found an Armada of ships with dragons cages on top of the one that was leading them, I turned my self-invisible and went towards the ship. There were Hunters and trappers everywhere but I manage to elude them and freed the dragons on the ship but once I freed the last dragon I was discovered and surrounded they tried to tranquilize me but the darts wouldn't penetrate through my scales."

That when I met the mad man himself Drago Bludvist, he tried to make me submit to him by screaming and whaling his bullhook, it was intimidating but I stood my ground. But in an instant, he slashes my stomach with it and manages to cut through my scales and my skin underneath my scales. He cut very deeply, and I was losing a lot of blood I made a diversion for myself by blowing up part of the ship and turning myself invisible and flew off towards the ocean. But I was losing my strength and landed in the ocean, when I did I floated on top of the ocean with the remaining strength I had left I tried to cauterized my wound but because of my blood was different my dried blood made a seal around the wound and stopped the bleeding but I fainted in the process."

"I keep going in and out of consciousness I remember being hot and cold seeing the sunrise and fall but then I remember feeling something pulling me out of the water."

I looked over towards Valka and said, "I think this is your part to tell the story I don't remember much during those first few days."

Valka looks at me than the group, "I'll try but it was a while ago I might mess up with a few things while telling my side of your story."

Gobber then asked, "Wait Valka you knew him before you came back to our village?"

She nodded and looked at me, "This...boy was the dragon I rescued all those years ago."

"Once one of our dragons found you, we took you back to the nest and I was trying to heal you. The cut looks bad, so I tried to clean the wound first, but when I did, I cleaned the blood off but the wound itself was already closed to be completely healed. So, I tried everything I could to make sure that it stays clean, we put you in a warm place and within an hour you began breathing normally. After finishing examining your body, I saw the Belt on your leg and removed it, that when I saw a book with dragon information in it but I didn't read all of it. It took you 3 days to finally wake up, you acted differently from most dragons. Most dragons would be confused about my appearance, but you knew that I wore a mask, and you made gestures that were clear to understand."

I responded, "I couldn't clearly talk during that time I was still trying to learn how to adjust my vocal muscles so people could understand me, or at least one person could..." I slightly blushed and said, "You scared me at first I didn't believe that there were people outside of my home that took care of dragons. Your appearance didn't help at all, I knew that you were a person but why wear a mask? It took me a few days to understand why you needed it to show the dragons you were a threat or at least trick a dragon to think you were not human until you had gained its trust."

She nodded, "And when you first saw me it had the opposite effect. Cloudjumper and I brought you food, but you didn't want to eat while we were in front of you, so we left. And when we came back you were asleep with the food was gone. The next few days had gone by yet you wouldn't leave the cave that you were in, so I stop by to see what were you doing. Until now I thought I was going crazy, but I saw you reading that book that was attached to your belt on your leg. But you saw me and hid it, but you didn't seem interested in my presence until I took off my mask. But when I tried to see the book you growl at me."

I sighed, "I apologize for that, it was pure fear and instinct that caused me to do that. I didn't want you to know what was inside my book and discover what I truly was."

She continues with her side of the story, "It did take a few tries, but I manage to get you out of the cave and that when you meet the king himself the Bewilderbeast. Yet you didn't bow, in fact, you snarled at him, why did you?"

"As I mentioned before, I had 2 encountered with dragons his size, everything that they did was for themselves not for the entirety of the nest, so I didn't trust him," I answered

"But eventually you grew to like him?"

I nodded, "yes, you weren't there but he knew that I wasn't a dragon at heart and mind, and he taught me how to control myself and change back and forth between human and dragon."

Everyone looked at me and all of them were asking the same question, 'how?'

The Bewilderbeast has some sort of connection to the mind of a dragon, he looked through my mind and memories and found the trigger that caused my change. He made me think back to when I was with the sand Wrath and made me replay the same emotion that I had back then, and it worked I was human again. He taught me how to change back and forth during the nighttime where everyone was asleep. That why I gain respect for him during that time and began bowing to him, he is a true king that takes care of everyone within his home."

Valka then looked at me and said, "Every act that you took makes much more sense now. You were a very smart and strange dragon. Everything that you did confused and surprised me. Like that time during the mating season where that female Nadder chasing after you and-"

I cut her off before she told that story, "DO NOT tell them that! I don't want to think about that time."

She then giggled and said, "it was just funny was all."

"To you," I retorted. During the time I was at the nest I guess my body was mature enough to...do the deed...and the female dragons could sense that or they could smell my musk and they wanted...me, because they never have seen a dragon-like me before so their instincts lead them to have more interest in me. But I guess the word 'no' or 'I'm not interested' doesn't have any meaning during that time. It's a good thing I could turn invisible otherwise those females would have found me.

"But anyway, I continued from there before you say something that embarrassing to me," I said, "I believe that I spent at least 6 months inside of that nest but I wanted to go exploring again by myself. So, I said my goodbyes and left the nest. Soon after that, I found another island full of dragons, this island was the Foreverwing nest and I quickly became a part of the nest. I met a dragon that was very optimistic but did have a temper who became my friend, that dragon was the Typhoomerang that tackle me after we rescued all those dragons during the time my island was attacked. I named him Combustion because dragons don't have names."

"What do you mean by that?" Asked Fishlegs.

Dragon culture right, "What I learned is that a dragon isn't born with a name, they are given a title that defines them. That what I've learned, but he didn't have one, so I gave him a name."

I laughed because I just remembered something and I look over towards Hiccup, "in fact Toothless was upset with you because of the name you gave him, or at least the meaning of the name. One without teeth..."

"But anyway, that when I was a part of that nest, but a situation happened were a few dragons that were off the island got captured by dragon trappers. I want to save them, but no one wanted to help but one dragon, my friend Combustion. But It was going to be difficult because we were big and easy to spot dragons, even if I turned invisible, I wouldn't be able to rescue the dragons without other people noticing. So, I had to tell Combustion my plan and show him my secret. He actually took it well and that surprised me, but we managed to find and rescue them. But that incident may have caused the dragon Hunters to get involved discovered my island and will...the rest you know."

"That not everything that happened in the last 7 but the key points in my life. I am sorry for deceiving you guys all this time but since the incident, with the Meatheads, I had trouble trusting people with dragons. I've seen people and dragons die in front of me. I didn't have the courage to tell anybody about me unless it's necessary like when you were thinking about going back to the Bog Burglars island to come to rescue me when I was in front of you and you didn't know that I was a dragon, I'm sorry so for that."

I tried my best not to cry in front of them, but I had told them everything important that happened to me for the past 7 years. And like I said to them I hadn't done anything wrong but...that what happened I didn't have a choice but to leave and survive.

But after everything, I said they understood where I was coming from and why I lied to them all this time. Gobber and Eret were still a little freak out by me but at this point it better then someone putting a sword on my neck. Everyone but Hiccup and Astrid left, I changed back when no one was looking but I could barely move but then those two helps me back towards my house when I could barely walk.

We finally made, "Thanks, you two for helping me up, I'm sorry about this but I had to show the adults that I wasn't crazy."

"It's no problem we understand but are you going to be okay?" Asked Hiccup.

"For now, yes," I answer.

They both look confused then Astrid Asked, "What do you mean by that."

Shoot I let it slip...but I did just tell them my Origins so perhaps I should only tell them, but I don't want pity. "Look I have been...what I mean is I haven't told you everything about me or my condition. And I don't want your pity I have accepted this for a while that this might happen to me."

Now they looked worried, "Ronde, what are you talking about?"

I sat down next to the door I broke (going to need to fix that or at least cover the door frame.) "Please don't tell the others I told you this but during the last 4 years I've possibly known this but...the older I get, it becomes more difficult to change back and forth within a days' time and it becomes more painful because of the size I am when I'm a dragon."

"What are you saying?"

"When I get older...I might not be able to change at all...I might have to choose between living as a human or a dragon when I get to a certain age and I don't know when but I can assume that it will happen within a decade. Possible more than 6 years but after that...I just don't know. The pain is somewhat unbearable but quickly goes away, but as I said before the pain wasn't as worse back then as it is now."

They look at me and I could tell that they feel bad for me. But again, I have accepted that this might happen to me and depending on how my life plays out I might stay as a dragon for the rest of my life. It's easier to get around. "Hey, I told you I don't want your pity, it's not like I'm dying or anything I'll just be living just like I was before I met you guys."

They just look at me and look at each other,

But I had one other thing on my mind, "Before you guys leave may I ask you two something?"

They both nodded "Sure what is it?"

I was rubbing my right arm, again I was nervous, but I needed to hear their opinion about me. "I know I said this before, and I sometimes do hate repeating myself but...you guys heard my story; you saw my parents and know the history of my home and myself. And you know that I didn't do anything wrong to want to leave my country yet...why do you lot care so much about me. It's been nearly a month since I met you guys yet you've done so much for me, yet I didn't so little for you. So why do this for me? I should be on my hands and knees begging you guys for mercy after everything I have done to your village, I was being so selfish."

Hiccup then said, "You call saving those dragons on your island selfish? Or fighting off those Bog Burglars even though that would have been the perfect opportunity for you to escape from punishment. Or rescuing me from the Bog Burglars at the risk of your secret? Ronde every action that you have taken has been for the well-being of others, I don't call that selfish."

I turned towards Astrid and asked, "Well what about you? Why have you been so nice to me? Was it because of pity?"

She gave me a straight answer, "In some ways yes it was. I felt bad for you after I heard that you ran away at 10 years old and that your father tried to kill you. But even after all that you continue to make right by facing punishment for what you did and had many opportunities to leave yet you didn't. And now that I know it was you who saved me from being killed by the Bog Burglars I know now that you're not someone who should not be pitied for. You have one of the biggest secrets I have ever heard of, yet you risked so much for us knowing that there was a chance that we might find out, that the reason I'm nice to you."

She sounds the same way as she did on that island before we made it to the day of peace meeting. "I see..." I whispered.

Hiccup leans down facing me, "So now what Ronde? What are you going to do?"

"If you're asking what I'm going to do next, probably stay in your village for another month or possibly longer then I'll just try to go back home...maybe if that's ok with you," I responded.

They both nodded.

But I wasn't finish explaining myself, "But what we need to do is get the remaining Bog Burglars and take them back to their island or give them a ship."

They both looked at me as if I was crazy.

"Remember." I pointed at Hiccup, "you're the one who promised Bertha that you'll return her man and woman to her."

"Right...how are we going to do that? Some of our villagers still use the boat to capture food?"

I thought of something at that moment, "They can have my boat or ship whichever is your preference. I don't need it anymore, I just needed something to make sure you guys didn't ask how I got here with no boat or dragon."

"Wait you stole a dragon Hunter ship for that reason?" Astrid asked baffled.

"3 steps ahead, remember," I responded.

"You are something else," Hiccup stated, "Are you sure that you want to give it away?"

"I have no further use for it, let them have it."

"Ok, is there anything you need?"

I look back at the house that they gave me and pointed at it, "A new door for tomorrow and time to clear my head. I will lead the Bog Burglars towards my ship tomorrow once you had gathered them. For now, I believe we all need to rest...so good night you two."

Hiccup and Astrid said their goodbye and I waved them off. I went inside the house to find something to block the door frame. I decided to just use the mattress and sleep on the floor. Surprisingly it wasn't that bad I guess this beats sleeping on a rocky surface. I lay down just to try to fall asleep but there was so much going through my head.

'I just told them everything, yet they didn't have the reaction that I thought they were going to have. And this feeling, I do feel better but now it's like...what should I do now? Should I go see my mother? I still have mixed feelings for my dad but my sister's Grandma and my mentor, they don't know that I'm still alive. And my mother's face when she saw me...was that pity, sorrow empathy or just frustration? I know she wants to see her son again, but I am not that little boy that she raised anymore.'

'Still, I need to see her again, but right now I'm still not comfortable with the idea of facing her yet, but I will in time. I wonder what she's doing right now?'

I slowly fell asleep on the floor.

* * *

3rd person view.

As the boy was falling asleep there were others outside thinking of ways to prank the village in an ultimate fashion...Aka the twins.

"Ok I thought of the ultimate prank and we need some Dragon nip for our new friend." Said Tuffnut.

"Ah yes, and this way we can sit back and watch the explosions of laugher." Replied his twin.

"Yes, the ultimate prank! Let see, where do we find Dragon nip again? Somewhere in the field outside of the village?"

* * *

**I would like to point out that there are certain things I did not mention Within this part of his story I am saving some key points for the prequel am planning on creating possibly during the summertime. But you can get a feeling of what I'm going to be writing about and it might be a bit darker than this story. But these are the key highlights of his origin. I hope you're looking forward to the next chapter and the next book I plan to make for this story.**

**Review or comment will be appreciated tell me what you like about the story that's far and tell me what you dislike I might change it when I get to the prequel of the story.**

**See you guys next time.**


	26. Chapter 21 The Dragon nip Incident

Ronde(POV)

It was early in the morning, the wind was blowing slowly across the village. The sun hasn't even been up for 3 hours yet here I am next to around 40 Bog Burglars on my ship. Some of them were still injured because of me. both from when I attacked them and when I was out of control while I was a dragon. But most of them were staring at me like I grew two heads.

"What did you just say?" One of the Bog Burglars asked Bewildered.

This time I said it in more detail, "I said you're free to go home on my ship. In fact, you can keep this ship, I have no use for it anymore."

He was still confused, "Why are you doing this? We raided this place, destroyed your building and-"

I cut him off by waving my hand in the air and said, "You guys help fix the village, you've cooperated with the villagers and you somewhat helped with us getting information about your village so we could rescue this village chief even though I knew where to go. What I am trying to say is you guys were being very compliant so we're letting you go home."

He shook his head, "No, there's something more to this, your being too kind what is your game?"

I sighed, "Look to tell you the truth, we're letting you go for 2 reasons. The first is the village is almost completely fixed and they don't need all of you sleeping in an overcrowded cell next to each other. The 2nd reason is your leader Bertha knows what you all have done and she has demanded to have you guys sent back to your island."

Some of the Bog Burglars heard what I said and began muttering words and others were trying not to freak out. But the man in front of me said, "Great, she is going to punish us and her daughter. We do regret that we raided this village but we needed the money to get away from the Warlords. All we did was just waste our time and we don't have anything to show for it."

I somewhat felt bad, these guys were trying to get out of a bad situation but I just don't agree with the method that they chose. Taking someone that has nothing to do with your conflicts is going too far. 'But maybe...', I had an idea that could help them and myself.

"Hey, do you know if I had a bounty on my head?" I asked.

He examined me and tried to think, "Yeah, I think so, Dragon Hunters and the Warlords do have something against you. However, I don't believe that it was as high of a bounty of the chiefs."

"WHAT!", I was both relieved and insulted, for nearly a year I've stopped them from taking dragons across my path and the ones on my island yet Hiccup bounty was higher than mine? I then tried to calm myself down and said, "I think I know of a way to both benefit us."

He was confused, "What do you mean? You're not trying to turn yourself in, are you? That suicide."

I shook my head, there not getting it, "No, as far as I know, the leader of your raid thinks I'm dead and you can use that to your advantage to get away from the warlord's by my bounty."

"How? We need proof, that means that we need a corpse or something that points to you that we had an encounter with you."

I smile, "Exactly."

"What?"

I tried to explain, "While I was trying to rescue the chief I had to be stealthy so I took off my clothes so no one could hear me sneak around. But I had left my clothes on your island and you can use that as proof that you had an encounter with me."

He stared at me with a blank expression, "You took off your clothes to be more stealthy? You were running around our island naked?"

I was slightly embarrassed, of all the things he had to point out, he pointed that out? Did he not just hear what I just said? But I was embarrassed because it was somewhat true. Technically when I'm a dragon I am naked but not exposed! I tried to hide my embarrassment, "No!" I lied, "I had other clothes underneath them. Look what I'm saying is if you can find my clothes and show them to Warlords or the dragon Hunters they'll give you my bounty and this way I could one day get the drop on them and by that time you guys will be far away from your island."

"Yes but just clothes don't matter. We need something that lets them know that it was you." He responded.

"I know, I have my dragon shed skin as under armor underneath my shirt. And a few dragon Hunters have seen it on me so they can confirm that the clothes belong to me. And let not forget this ship, this is a dragon Hunter ship I stole, you can use this as well as further prove."

His eyes began to widen, "That could work! Tell me where are these clothes?"

"There...underneath a boulder near your prison. You might need a few people to help lift it." I answered.

"How did you even get it underneath a boulder by yourself?"

"Let's just say I'm stronger than what I look. Anyway, I told you everything that could benefit you. By the way the wind is blowing, I'll say you should be back home by or before nightfall. Safe travel." I single them goodbye and jump off the ship onto the docks and begin walking towards the village.

**3rd person view.**

The Bog Burglars watch the boy walking back towards the village they had nearly ruined. Yet the newly elected leader that the boy was talking to had been watching the boy from afar. This leader was the same person that the boy had threatened by breaking his neck yet he didn't.

"That boy is not what he seems to be. I thought that he was just as ruthless as Krogan, they almost do look alike but it seems I was wrong. He is kind, strong, versatile and seems very intelligent or at least very calculated. I don't know why he's helping us. I know he didn't just tell us that so he could get an advantage on the Warlords. He did that just to help us."

One of the men from the back walk next to him, this man had patches all over his body and said, "Sir I know what you mean, I mean he beat most of us by himself yet he showed us mercy. My ribs still hurt when he jumped off that house and landed on me but he still tried to help us even though he doesn't know us."

"For his sake, I hope that kindness isn't his weakness. But that doesn't matter now. What does matter that we know that boy is a streaker and we're going home!"

Everyone laughed and cheered.

Ronde(POV)

Why do I have a feeling that someone is talking about me behind my back? You know what, it doesn't matter, I need to inform the others about the Bog Burglars.

I turned around to see my ship in the far distance. "That boat was the 4th boat I ever had. But the one that is still behind that waterfall back on my adopted parent's island is still better and way bigger. Still can't believe that it was somewhat easy to steal. But I was almost caught, but there's no need to focus on the past. I need to work towards my future.

I needed to see Hiccup at Gobber workshop, who would have thought that a man with one hand and foot can be a blacksmith. This village never ceases to amaze me.

I finally made it and saw Hiccup Astrid Valka and Gobber. They seem to be having a conversation.

then Hiccup notices me and waves to get my attention, "Hey Ronde, how did everything go?"

I walk closer to the hut, "Everything is fine, they should be home before nightfall," I announce while leaning toward the wall.

Hiccup then smiled, "That great. Oh, hey we were having a disagreement with one another with my mother and I was wondering if you could tie the tiebreaker."

'What the...why me?' I thought to myself, "Ok, what were you debating about?"

"My mother and I were talking about finding ways to save other dragons from the Dragon Hunters. But we disagree on what to do with the one we rescued. I suggested that we bring them here and protect them under the Alpha and if it is overcrowded we can give the dragons a new home with our allies but my mother said that if they're not injured we should let them go free. Ronde what do you think?"

I was a little bit surprised by what they were talking about but then again they are related so I'm sure that certain aspects of their personalities and the way they think will come together but also split apart. But this topic they're both not going to like my answer.

"You're both right and wrong in the way you're looking at this topic," I said while sitting down on the floor.

Both mother and son looked at me confused, but then Hiccup asked me, "What do you mean by that."

I was scratching the back of my head, thinking of ways to explain myself, "Please don't take what I'm about to say personally but what you and Toothless have is a miracle in of itself. I'm surprised that when you two first met that he didn't kill you. But your village, everyone has a dragon companion or dragons can just walk around without people or Vikings trying to kill them is something beyond a miracle."

Hiccup then looked at me crazy, "I'm still confused, are you agreeing with me? And what does that have to do with anything?"

"You're not getting it, the miracle that you have here at Berk cannot happen outside of Berk. You may have a few people that understand that dragons are not a threat and are intelligent like us but there are people out there that enjoy violence, war, conflict and the thrill of the hunt. Those are the people that Interrupt the peace and destroy the Miracles that you and others have to build up. There are people in this world that are just selfish. So I believe that dragons and people should be separated."

Everyone was shocked that I said that, and I don't blame them but what I said is the truth.

But then Hiccup walked a little closer towards me and said, "I didn't believe that you of all people believe something like that. You don't like what we build?"

"Again you're misunderstanding me, I love what this village and my home have done with dragons. But you heard what my mother said even after 7 years there are people outside of my country trying to invade. We as humans have a desire, a need to have control of something in our lives. Some people take that desire to an extreme degree by having hundreds of people or animals that serve them. That's why the Warlords want to know how to control dragons, it's just a way to appease the feeling of control. But what even sadder is...if somehow the dragons just disappeared off the face of our world people would just use other people as tools or slaves. The peace that you want for the world isn't possible without sacrifice, and what my father said is true, sacrifice leads to death. Or in this case, Unnecessary death."

I didn't want to get too deep into this debate but they need to see my point of view as well. "I don't believe that peace is possible during this day and age, people will always find a way to disagree with one another. "What you have here is special but the world out there is ruthless." I pointed towards the horizon.

"But back to what I was saying, yes the dragons need to learn how to defend themselves but they need a leader as well. That's what I mean by your both right and wrong."

Valka somewhat had a small smile on her face and said, "You know, you're a lot wiser than you look, I do agree to what you are saying, it just...well..."

"I learned a lot by reading my country's history, and I learned that the people that live today are making the same mistakes as our ancestors, wise people learn from other people's mistakes. But I know I'm not perfect by saying that, I'm still making mistakes to this day."

Astrid and Hiccup looked disappointed, I wonder if it had something to do with what I said? Are they dissatisfied with my answer? Are they mad at me? "I'm sorry, I have to go home and fix my door. I'll see you guys later.

I walked outside of the workshop and headed home. I thought I had heard Hiccup and Astrid calling my name but I ignored them.

As I was halfway home I heard someone behind me, but when I turned around no one was there. I took a few more steps and heard the same sound of footsteps behind me. 'So someone is stalking me huh? Ok, then time to bring whoever it is out.'

I quickly ran and when I had some distance I hid on the side of a house and waited for the sound of feet running in my direction. The sound was getting closer and closer, I was ready to tackle whoever was following me.

I saw the figure but didn't see who it was but I tackled it and we fell on the ground but unlike my stalker, I was prepared to fall and I propped myself up and was about to punch whoever this was. Until I heard screaming.

"Ahhhhh! Wait don't punch me!"

Wait a minute, is this...? "Your...Tuffnut correct? Why are you following me?"

"I just want to invite you to our home for dinner! That's it!" He said while having his hands out trying to protect his face.

I got off of him, "Why me?" I asked.

"Well uhhhh...you deserve it for telling us your story! That takes courage."

'Something going on. But whatever it is, it probably nothing major. Plus they are offering free food, it is not often I eat cooked food. Im tried to eat semi-cooked fish.'

"Alright fine. When do you want me over?" I asked.

He smiled and told me the time and location. By the time I was finished with fixing my door, I should have time to reflect on myself and finish cleaning my house.

**(5 hours later.)**

3 hours...It took me 3 hours just to replace and fix my door. I guess It was harder than what it looked. I thought I learned when I helped Hiccup with his door but I guess it wasn't enough. Plus I had to find a way to insulate the door so that cold air cannot get inside, And had to find some goop and clay for that. It's still early in the afternoon and the food that the twins are preparing is going to be later in the afternoon so I have a few more hours.

I went back inside my house and laid down on my bed on my back reflecting on today.

'I wonder will the others be there? I think that Astrid and Hiccup are mad at me. But I was just sharing my opinion and thoughts on the matter. I have seen people kill one another just for a disagreement. Dragons, however, are just territorial but they work with each other. I mean I've been a dragon for almost half my life, I know what it's like to survive as one of them. But do I have a right to say that? I think I'm 17 years old. My birthdate was sometime during the late spring right around the Spring festival at my home. But I haven't experienced life as a warrior. I've only seen it from my father and a dragon's eyes view. Even the people within Kindle's village were somewhat destructive. So maybe my opinion is subjective.'

"Bah! I'm overthinking things again!"

**(2 hours later)**

I knocked on the door of the twin's home and a few seconds later the female Ruffnut had opened the door, "oh it's you come in, come in."

Then she took me into their kitchen and I saw the food on the table. But I noticed that it was just these two here, where are the others? In fact, where are there parents?

I was about to ask, but then the smell of food had stopped me. They had made roasted meat and fully cooked fish with soup with boiled vegetables! This still doesn't look as good as the food at home but this is a close 2nd. But there was another smell, a faint one yet something familiar about it.

"Well don't just stand there eat!" Said Ruffnut.

We all sat down and I was eating the majority of the food, it was decent, not bad but something was holding the flavor back. But I noticed that the twins were watching me as if they're waiting for something to happen. What was strange is they were barely touching the food at all, why?

"Why are you two not eating?" I asked, "I mean this food is decent enough to eat."

Tuffnut said, "We're just waiting."

I was confused, "Waiting for what?"

"For the others..." Ruffnut responded.

'So they did invite the others. I don't think I could handle the awkwardness from me, Hiccup and Astrid being together in the same room. I already had my fill, plus these two are acting weirder than normal.'

I got up from the table, "I think it's time for me to go. Thank you for the food." I said while heading for the door.

"Wait do you want to stay longer!?" Yelled Tuffnut.

I opened the door and said, "I'm sorry but no, I don't need the others giving me a-a con-conf...confused..."

'Something wrong...very wrong...I feel funny...and lightheaded...what going...on?'

I was losing my balance and fell forward on the ground with my hands out. But this feeling is spreading across my body.

'Why? What...was...in...that...food?'

I felt my clothes shrinking and the twins looking at me smiling and waiting for something to happen.

"What's...happening...to...me?"

**(A few minutes later.)**

Hiccups(POV)

What Ronde said got me thinking about the future of Berk and our relationship with our dragons. There are people out in the world that are probably worse then Drago Bludvist and that alone is a scary thought. I want people and dragons together at peace, is that possible?

Suddenly I heard something at the distance, I got up and decided to walk towards my door to see what was going on. But when I got to my door someone was banging on it. When I finally opened it I wasn't surprised to see the twins behind it. "What did you two do this time?"

"Yeah, we mess up badly! He destroyed our bor pit and burned our house!" Yelled Tuffnut.

"Hiccup please stop him before he destroys any more of our stuff!" Yelled Ruffnut.

Wait, what are they talking about? "Who is destroying your stuff? And why are they-"

_**{Booooom!}**_

I saw at a distance a small explosion.

"No! Not our 2nd bor pit!" Screamed Tuffnut.

I didn't have time to ask about what was going on. I called down Toothless and we ran towards the smoke from the explosion and in the middle of it, I saw a figure looming around. The shape looks like a dragon, it almost looks like...Toothless no a NightFury?

I saw a pair of glowing eyes through the smoke staring into my soul. And then the dragon pounces on me and reveals its many sharp teeth. But as the dragon pounced on me Toothless was ready to fire a Plasma blast at the dragon on top of me.

But as the smoke cleared I saw the dragon, a brown-eyed NightFury... 'Wait a minute Ronde?'

But something was off, his eyes were different or at least his pupils were larger than Toothless's regular size. But he was growling at me. "Ronde?"

He leaned closer to me and I could smell his breath and see drool coming out of his mouth. Toothless growls even louder and then I heard laughter...

"Heehee...Haaahaaaahaaaa!"

What the? He got off of me and sat down upright and stared at me with half-closed eyes and laughed at me. "Haa...haaa...you ssssshould ha-had ssssseeeen your f-face."

Wait a second what the heck is wrong with him? Why is he acting like this and did he just slur his words? Is he drunk or something?

While he was laughing he fell on his back still having a laughing fit. That when the twins finally caught up to us.

Tuffnut ran towards the area that was still burning and then he fell to his knees in anguish, "Our bor pit! How could he destroy our bor pit by burning it!?"

His Ruffnut not Patted him on the back and said, "We can rebuild what was taken from us brother, we can rebuild."

"What is going on?" I asked, "Why is he acting this way? This isn't normal for him."

Both of them looked guilty, "Well..."

Oh no, "What did you two do?"

"We might have given a little bit...a lot of dragon nip just to see what he would do," Ruffnut said.

"Are you two serious!?"

**{Snck!}**

We all turned around to see Ronde upright with his mouth open, he had a confuses look on his face, "Where...are my teeeeth?"

**_{Snck!}_**

The teeth around his mouth popped out lighting fast and made a loud sound. He looks confused, "My teeeeth pop in and out...like I'm tooooothlessss? Oh...I-I get it...I'm tooothlessss that's why you called him thaaat. heeeheehahaa!"

he fell on the ground again and was having another laughing fit.

I turned towards the twins and asked, "Why did you two do this to him?"

Before they had a chance to respond Ronde looked towards the village and began muttering, "Ohhhhhh looook at the preeeety lightsssss musssst ssseeee."

Suddenly he got up from his back and made a mad dash towards the middle of the village. I tried to stop him but he rams my side and knocks me over not even paying attention to me only what was in front of him.

Toothless help me up off the ground, "We have to stop him or put him in a spot that we can control him until it wears off. Ruffnut go get Astrid and tell her what's going on. Tuff help me find him."

We separate,

As we were running after Ronde I asked, "Tuff how much did you give him?"

"Well, we cooked it in the food to hide the taste and he had at 3 to 4 plates so maybe half a bag of nip or maybe a little less of a quarter of a Barrel."

"A quarter of a...he's probably going to be like that all night! What were you thinking?"

"We were thinking about pranking him. We thought that dragon nip was going to knock him out and then we would paint all over his body and he would never know as he was walking around the village."

"Are you serious!?"

We made it towards the village and yet there was no sign of him.

I was confused, "He was heading in this way, wasn't he? Where is he?"

Suddenly I heard a scraping noise on top of the further house. He was climbing on top of the house while it sounded like he was humming to himself. Then as he was on top of the house he was prancing across the house and the jump towards the next one while singing.

"~in the foresst the mighty foresst the dragon sssleep tonight!~"

"Tuffnut tried to not laugh at him, "You know if this wasn't so funny I would say that he can sing," Tuffnut said.

I looked at Toothless and asked, "Toothless can you knock him down with a Plasma blast without hurting him?"

Toothless then looked at Ronde who was still singing, "~Weeeeeeeee I'm on my waayyyy.~"

Toothless then prompted himself and focused on Ronde's movement, and then finally shot a small Plasma blast at his face and knocked him off balance and he fell behind the house he was on.

We quickly rushed to see if he was ok, we found him on his back looking at his claws in a daze. "Why are my handsss ssso big? Wait, are thesse my handsss? No these are my clawsss. Clawsss...clalls? No, Pawsss? I have pawsss? What a funny word...pallllwssss..hee hee."

'Is this really Ronde? How far gone is he to be acting like this? Dragon nip is either supposed to calm down a dragon, I heard however that for certain dragons can show signs of aggression but this...I don't know. It's like he's drunk or ate the wrong kind of mushrooms. I tried to see if he was ok, "Ronde are you ok?"

He sat up and looked at me but the way he was looking at me was concerning as if he didn't recognize me.

He spoke, "Oh...hey...uhhhh...boness? No that...not your title...uhhhh frecklesss? No, what's your name again Hiccup?" He asked, legitimately confused.

'What in thor's name is even happening anymore!?' "Y-you just said my name."

He got up and walked closer to my face, "I...did? I don't remember...heehee."

He got even closer as he was laughing so I asked what so I asked, "What so funny?"

He places his claw near my face and says, "You have ssso many sssmall dotsss on your face. They are so noticeable like ssstars in the night ssky. Are you a perssson who can grraant wissshess? If so...can I see Kindle again?"

Because his claws were close to my face, Toothless quickly pushed him silently. But in an instant, Ronde got aggressive and pushed Toothless back and that moment while Toothless was still sliding from when he was pushed Ronde pounced towards him but Toothless ducks just in time.

Ronde's eyes were paper-thin, "DO NOT TOUCH ME WHELPLING! IF YOU DARE TOUCH ME AGAIN I WILL DESTROY THIS ISLAND AND MAKE SURE YOU WATCH EVERYTHING BURN!"

I was shocked for a moment he just did a complete 180 on us. And he just threatened to destroy Berk. Is this the aggressive side effect?

Then he started to walk towards us but something was wrong. He wasn't walking properly and he was growing?

Then I saw it happened right in front of me, his black scales began to turn purple and his arms began growing too and his snout became longer and hair began to grow on top of his head. The change was finally completed and he changed into the Chimera dragon right in front of me and Tuffnut. But something was wrong. He was limping but he was bothered by it. Is he in pain but doesn't know? No, it's like he's numb or something.

"Ronde stop!"

Stormfly landed right in the middle with Astrid and Ruffnut.

Astrid got off of Stormfly and went towards Ronde, "Stop what are you doing?"

Ronde then faced her with eyes burning eyes in anger, then he leaned down towards her and said, "Ohhhh...uhhhh...you're...that...pretttty girl...Assstrid? Hi...hello...uhhhhhh...greetingssss...why...are you...ssscared?"

It seems he had calmed down.

Astrid then looked back at me confused.

"At least he remembers your name," I said to her.

Suddenly Ronde got close to Astrid and started to sniff around her and he giggles, "You just recently took a bath...you ssmell fressh...like a rosse in a field of flowerss."

It seems as if Astrid wanted to slap him, but she looked at him and said, "Stop talking."

"Ahnnnnn..." Ronde said disappointed.

Astrid walked towards me and Tuffnut and she punched Tuffnut across his face.

"What was that for?" he said while holding his cheek.

"Ruffnut told me what you two did to him and you are going to fix everything he broke or destroyed while he's like that. You two basically drugged him." Astrid said.

Astrid then said to me, "Ronde told me himself that he loses all sense of right and wrong when he eats dragon nip. But this, he didn't tell me this. It's like he's drunk or something."

I thought of something, "Perhaps we should lure in towards his home or the training area."

"Maybe but that might be difficult without upsetting him. I heard what he yelled so we have to be careful. " She responded.

Ronde tried to balance himself and said, "No...I want to...go home..."

Both me and Astrid looked at each other but Astrid Shrugged and said, "Alright Ronde but you need to follow us ok."

He shook his head while backing away from us. "No...not with...you two... you..are dissappointed with...me." he had tears in his eyes as he was saying that.

Wait what? What did he mean by that and is he crying?

He began walking away from us but Astrid stopped him, "Whoa hold on, why would we be disappointed with you?"

He sat down while covering his eyes, "Because of what I ssaid I sshould had agreeed with you two but now you are mad at me!"

"He must be talking about this morning, he must have felt guilty about not agreeing with us," I said out loud.

Astrid said to him, "Ronde we're not mad at you for having an opinion. We had discussions like that to open our world view. Please do be sad."

The tears around his face dried up and he said very happily, "ok."

What the...he changes emotions so quickly while he's like this?

He got up and said and began sniffing around, "I'm hungry...for...live food."

He looked over towards one side of the village and ran towards the barn with all the sheep and other farm animals.

I and everyone else immediately tried to stop him. "Ronde No! Stop!"

But he was too quick and got inside the barn looking for something.

By the time we caught up to him, he had a sheep in his mouth. It was still alive with no blood around it, it was still asleep he managed not to wake it.

We try not to yell so we didn't have to wake anyone up. "RONDE PUT DOWN THAT SHEEP."

He shook his head saying no, but by doing this he woke up the sheep.

"Bah?"

What happened next shocked everyone who saw. Before the sheep had a chance to react Ronde slurped the sheep into his mouth and swallowed it alive.

We all stood there horrified, "Guys we can't tell anybody what we just saw or witnessed." I said.

We all look at each other in agreement.

30 minutes later

We all tried to forget what we just saw not that long ago. But we managed to get Ronde to follow us. But I can't tell if he's getting better or worse. He was almost speaking clearly but was having a hard time walking and listening. The dragon was behind him while we were in the front.

"Come on Ronde you almost home," Astrid said.

He looked dissatisfied, "No...home...isn't here I don't belong...here, my home is far away."

He keeps changing emotions Randomly, but it seems that any phrases can set him off."

He suddenly stops walking and turns around towards our dragons.

I was confused and could only imagine what he was about to do or say. "Ronde what's wrong?"

He ignored me and that when I noticed he had a smile and was staring at Stormfly.

"Hey Stormfly could you...ohhhh..wait...you can't understand me...when I'm talking...like this can you?" He walks a little closer towards our dragons.

"Rahhaaa graaaaal rallahhhhh *purr* rahhhhaaal grreeeahhhhh~?"

Whatever he just said he just sang the last part and it sounded something almost seductive.

Toothless's eyes were wide and Stormfly took a few steps back away from him.

He looked hurt, "Oh...I thought that you liked me but I see now I was wrong. I just want someone to be with. I want love too you know. I just miss her so much. "

He was walking towards us while saying, "I want to see you again Kindle...I want to go flying with you again. I...want to hear your beautiful voice...Kindle? Where are you? Wait...where...I'm I again?"

He looked at me and Astrid, "What? Why are you two Staring at me like that!? I JUST BECAUSE I CONFUSED ABOUT SOMETHING DOESN'T MEAN YOU CAN JUDGE ME!"

as he was yelling at us he body was on fire like a nightmare and was really to attack us. But then his facial expression looked more sympathetic and the fire around his body disappeared.

"But I am a talking dragon...so...I know people will judge me regardless...I remember...when...I was...a Youngling I hope that...my instinct would take over...and I would lose my...humanity...so...I wouldn't have any more attachment with me...so I wouldn't feel alone and like an outcast..."

He walked ahead of us, "life...is full of disappointments...and I am one of those disappointments...why didn't I go back to see them? Pride? Rejection? Fear? I have so many regrets yet I don't know what to do now? What should I do now?"

He's starting to make more sense now, I wonder if the nip started to wear off?

He turned around to face us, "uhh...what are we doing again? I'm getting sleepy..." he said while yawning.

'No it not, but if he falls asleep he should be back to normal by the time he wakes up. "We were taking you back to your house."

He tilted his head in a confused manner, "I...have a...house? Since when?"

"Since a few weeks ago," I responded.

He had a small smile, "That...cool...do I...live there?"

"Yes, it is your house."

He looked scared, "B-by...myself?"

"Y-yeah."

He whimpered as if he was scared and asked, "Could...you...stay with...me? Please, I don't...want to be...alone again."

I looked back towards Astrid and she sighed while nodding. I don't think anyone wants to do this but we needed to help our friend. "Yeah, sure Ronde."

He smiled, "Thank you..."

We managed to get to mildew home, Ronde looks around confused as if he's never been here. "What...is...this place? It...small like I've been here before...but...someone else has as well."

He sniffed around the house, "Smells like...sheep...with...*Hagh!*"

Out of nowhere, he was in the middle of a coughing fit it seemed he was having a hard time breathing. "Ronde what the matter?"

He kept coughing as if he was choking. He fell on all fours and opened his mouth as if he was trying to cough something out.

Suddenly he stops coughing and makes a familiar noise, it almost sounds like Toothless when he's about to...oh no this might get messy. "Guys stay a few feet away from him, he's regurgitating something."

"*Hack* *cough*"

Whatever it was it finally came out of his mouth. It was something white and covered with spit and slime. When we got closer we saw what it was, it was the sheep he had eaten earlier with a bit of the food he must have eaten but the poor thing must be dead. It hasn't moved and it seems not to be breathing.

Tuffnut went next to the sheep and fell on his knees, "I'm so sorry you poor pathetic creature this was my fault if I had a way to bring you back I would."

He places his hand on the sheep's forehead despite it being basically covered in throw up and pet it gently.

"Bah?"

The sheep's eyes suddenly open and quickly tackle Tuffnut. But the moment it got a glimpse of Ronde it ran away.

"That sheep is going to be scared of dragons for the rest of its life." Said Ruffnut while laughing.

I looked over to see Ronde just out of breath, his legs were shaking and suddenly he collapsed on the ground.

We went to see him, "Ronde? Are you ok?" Astrid asked.

He didn't respond and his eyes began to slowly shut. Be as they were I noticed that his irises were going back to their normal sizes before he completely closed them.

"I think the effect of the nip is wearing off," I said out loud.

"Now what? Should we check on him in the morning or stay here?" Astrid asked.

"I believe it best to stay here with him, we don't know how he will react when he wakes up. But the twins can go back and count the damage they caused. I'll go back to the village and get the tents so we can stay out here with him."

Astrid turned around to face the twins, "Remember you too are fixing everything he's destroyed and broken."

"Yeah, we know."

Ronde(POV)

**{Dream}**

* * *

_I was in the forest sneaking around so no one could hear me. My stealth has completely gone up since I became a dragon, my Sire has taught me well. But why I'm I doing this? Why I'm I looking for that girl? She tried to kill me last night yet she didn't, why? And what she said has been replaying in my head over and over._

**_"Oh, you don't think I'm worth killing, do you!? Just like everyone else, always looking down on me! But I'll prove to them that I and every other female on this island are worthy of being a warrior by killing you!"_**

_Yet she stops mid-swing, why? I'm happy that she didn't kill me but a person who has an opportunity to kill a dragon to receive fame and respect among their people will always kill the dragon. Yet she didn't, and I need to know why by spying on her at a distance and her village._

_I sniffed around and I got a whiff of something. 'This scent is the same as the girl last night. I got you now.'_

_I quickly snuck around quietly while following the scent just in case there were others near her area. I didn't smell anyone else but it's better to be cautious then dead._

_As I was sneaking around and the scent was getting stronger and more prominent, she's very close._

_While I was following it the forest had a clearing and it was just in an open field with flowers and a cliff, the girl was just sitting at the edge of it staring at the ocean._

_I sniffed around one more time just to make sure that it was just me and her, and It was. There wasn't any scent of anyone else being here. But I still needed to be careful, I was slowly creeping towards her low to the ground._

_'Why I'm I so interested in this girl? I just told myself I was going to watch her at a distance yet something is driving me to see her. But she tried to kill me! She'll try to do it again...will she? I mean she didn't last time so maybe I'll show her I'm not a threat then...no. But if she has a weapon then I will not approach her.'_

_I was halfway close to her and I saw what she had on but she didn't carry a weapon with her. She didn't have anything on her to hold a small knife, she's completely defenseless. That thought scared me more than the thought of her having a weapon for some reason._

_I wasn't paying attention and I stepped on a twig._

_[Snap..]_

_She didn't even turn around but she said, "Go away I told you I'm not interested."_

_I was confused, 'Huh? What the heck is she even talking about?' Well, she knows that someone is next to her so might as well close the distance between us.'_

_I walked towards her until I was at least 10 feet away from her._

_She huffed, "I told you to go away. I'm not in a mood to deal with your shenanigans or hear how much you like me even though you don't respect me. Just go away."_

_'How can you like a person yet not respect them? That is the beginning of a toxic relationship.'_

_She growled this time and yelled, "Just go away please I just want to be-!" She finally turned around to face me. But instead of her facial expression being horrified she was just shocked and confused._

_Then after we stared at each other for a few moments she finally said, "So you came back to finish me off dragon? Go on then, do it! Kill me!"_

_I was shocked that she told me to do that but I stood my ground and stared at her._

_She got up and ran towards me, I almost had the reaction to pounce on her but once I saw her balled up her fist with nothing in them I stood still._

_She was punching and kicking my chest and stomach but it didn't hurt. But while she was doing that she was screaming, "Do it! It's easy for you mindless monsters! You attack villages and kill innocent people all the time so do it!"_

_"Do it, please...I have nothing here..."_

_Her punches got weaker and weaker the more she punched and kicked me, she was crying hoping that I would kill her._

_I used my hands to slightly push her away from me, and she was surprised. But then she spat on the ground and gave me a mean glare then said, "You coward."_

_'What the...How am I a coward? I don't run from you.'_

_She sat back down on the edge of the cliff wiping her tears away with her sleeve, "The only dragon within miles from here yet it's a coward...yet it spared me." She turned around and faced me. "I should have killed you...yet I guess I'm a coward for not being able to to it."_

_Suddenly she punched the ground, "Why did you deny me my warrior death!? If I can't be a warrior I would like to die like one!" She yelled at me._

_'What the hell? Does she want to die? No, if that were the case she would jump off this cliff. She wants me to kill her so she could feel more like a warrior? What kind of thought process is that!?'_

_She scoffs and says, "Why I'm I even talking to you? Your just a dumb beast that can't even understand what I'm saying."_

_I scoffed and gave her a blank stare, 'Oh if you only knew what I am.'_

_She gave me a confused look but turned towards the Cliffside, "No that was a coincidence you just copy the sound when I scoffed."_

_I laughed, 'Oh keep telling yourself and I'll surprise you at every turn.'_

_She was confused again by my laughter but then she sat back down at the Cliffside._

_"Why couldn't I kill you? I wanted to be a warrior and I told myself that I would do anything to get to that status for me and the other women on this island. Yet for some reason when I attack you I was either hoping that I would kill you and bring your head to the village or you'll kill me in a warrior death to show all these pathetic men and their leader that a woman can become a warrior."_

_She faced me then looked away, "When you spared me and tried to get away you denied me both of those. But when you were tied down with no hope of escaping me you looked so full of...regret and I saw a tear in your eyes. I thought of you as a person instead of the dragon right in front of me. So I let you go, yet here you are again, here to remind me of my failure."_

_I was somewhat heartbroken, look I'm glad that I'm alive but she's mistaken her mercy for a weakness. And by the look of her she's only in her early teens, 14 maybe 15. Yet that's how she feels? What are the people in her village teaching her? In fact, if she or the other females can't be a warrior that means that the women of this island are workers and possibly slaves._

_I got closer to her and placed my head on her lap to see how she reacts._

_She freaks out for a moment, "What are you do-?"_

_Keep in mind I think I'm 12, I lost count of the days so I've been keeping track of the seasons. But I grew Twice if not three times the size of when I first became a dragon. And if I had to guess if I were to stand on my two feet I would be around 10 feet tall. But I'm bigger than this girl so I have to be careful about my weight and movement._

_I finished relaxing and I was purring to show her that I wasn't going to harm her. She was still shaking from fear but then I felt something on top of my head. I slowly opened my eyes but not all the way to see what she was doing._

_She was slowly stroking my head and playing with my hair._

_After a few minutes had gone by she stopped shaking and she was actually smiling, "Maybe I was wrong about you. I guess...you're not a coward, you're just...nice is all."_

_She was slowly petting my snout and scratching my chin then asked, "I wonder are all dragons like this? Do they just want to be petted?"_

_I nodded._

_..._

_"Wait a minute, did you just nod to my question?" She asked._

_I wasn't thinking straight. I haven't had a good rub since my grandmother was scratching my head when I first became a dragon. All I was thinking of was answering her questions and wasn't thinking about the repercussions of answering. So I nodded again._

_She pushed my head away, got up and started backing away from me looking very confused._

_I got up and regained my sense and I immediately regretted my decision to respond._

_She gave me a serious look and asked, "Dr-dragon can you understand me? Every word I just spoke, can you understand my language?"_

_I didn't know what to do, should I answer her? But now that I think about it, it wouldn't make a difference either way if I told her or not that I could understand her. I mean the worst thing she can do is try to kill me again or tell her village that a dragon is in the woods. But even if she told her village I don't think anyone would believe her, I hate to say this but it seems the woman here doesn't get any respect for what she said. So I guess it's safe to tell her. But if it gets bad all I have to do is turn invisible and leave the island._

_I nodded yes_

_Her eyes widened, "You understand everything I said?"_

_I nodded yes again._

_"Everything?"_

_I nodded again._

_"You're not just nodding yes to everything I said."_

_I nodded no_

_She walked closer to me, I think she's curious about me. This was the opposite of what I was expecting from her, "C-Can all dragons understand our language?"_

_'See now that is something I can't explain. What I'm hearing from her is my human language, the language I've been taught to speak since I was a little kid. But when a dragon speaks I still hear growls and grunts but because I'm a dragon it's filtered through my head to words I can understand. I think dragons can understand certain words or phrases but not completely understand our language. I just don't know.'_

_So I Shrugged._

_She looked surprised, "That was a gesture! You can understand me!"_

_She walked even closer to me and asked, "Why did you spare me? I mean I'm happy now that we didn't kill each other but why did you? You just met me so why?"_

_I made a gesture to my mouth to show her that I couldn't speak. After a few moments, she understood. "Oh, you can't speak our language but you can understand it, duh. Ok then answer me this, are you a boy or a girl? Tap once for a girl, tap twice if you're a boy."_

_'Oh no, I think I know where this is going.' I tapped my tail on the ground 2 times._

_She looked disappointed and surprised. "The fact that you can understand simple numbers is something else, but you're a boy. That's why you spared me isn't it? It's because I'm a girl right?"_

_I mean I would have done it even if she was a boy it was the look that she gave me. As if her eyes told me that she wasn't ready to leave this world. Plus I'm not a killer, shoot I hate capturing live fish. But to tell the truth I think it's because your female is why I'm interested in you. I never have seen any girl capture a dragon before let alone me. You were quicker than most Boys your age even in my country in our combat class. That itself is an impressive feat on its own._

_I nodded no and made a gesture towards my face making a scared face._

_"So you saw my fear? That's why you spared me? But I was your enemy and I tried to kill you. Why would you do that for me?"_

_I Shrugged, it was the fear that I saw in her eyes when I was on top of her. That's why. Nothing more nothing less._

_She looked disappointed with my answer, "You are a very weird dragon. I suppose I can't kill you, and there's no point trying to tell my village about your presence. So I guess you're free to do whatever you want. So what are you going to do now dragon?"_

_I don't know I got a month before Dam and Sire came back with our new baby brother, sister or both so I don't know. It depends on what she said next after I tell her what I'm thinking about doing._

_I made a gesture pointing towards the ground trying to tell her I was going to sleep here._

_She looked surprised, "I recommend not here. I mean it is far from my village but some scouts patrol the area at night so find somewhere to hide."_

_She turned around and began walking towards the forest, then she turned around to look at me but this time she looked nervous, she was rubbing her arm. "Dragon...if you could...come back here tomorrow...I'm interested in you, your actions don't make sense to me. And don't worry I won't tell anyone about this meeting or you. Just come back ok? I need someone...to talk too or can at least listen to me."_

_'I can do both for you...I'm also interested in you too. I'll be here waiting here for you tomorrow.'_

_I nodded._

_She turned around to look at me one last time before walking into the forest. "Dragon, you probably don't care but my name is Kindle...I expect you to find a way to tell me your name if you have one. Goodbye...Dragon."_

_I smiled, 'Kindle huh? Like a spark that starts a fire or a small flame...I'll remember that.'_

_She walked inside the forest._

_'Well, then I guess I should find a cave that is difficult for a person to find. I think I saw a few around this cliff somewhere.'_

_I ran across the field and jumped off the cliff then opened my wings and looked around for a cave._

_I think I found one inside the cliffside and flew into it. The surface was very smooth. The only light source was from the entrance and there was plenty of room for me to stretch this is my new home, for now, I guess some improvements compared to my home with Sire and Dam but there wasn't a pool to drink out of. That fine, I just need to sleep and mark this as my territory before another dragon tries to take this place from me. But I'll worry about that later. I just need a quick nap, then find some food._

_I slowly closed my eyes._

* * *

I woke up from another dream about a memory of my past but I didn't open my eyes and I felt horrible. I tried to get up but a sharp pain ached across my body stopping me. And I growl very loudly.

'Wait I growled? I'm changed?' I still couldn't move but I tried to wiggle my extra Pantages such as my wings and tail, they were there.

'What happened last night? Or is it even morning yet?' I tried to open my eyes and the light from the sun hurt my eyes. 'My eyes are very sensitive to light but why?'

It's like the symptoms I had when sire gave me dragon nip...wait this can't be right I would remember if I had dragon nip. But why can't I remember what happened?

Suddenly I heard footsteps near me. They were louder than normal. What's with my hearing?

"Ronde are you ok!?"

I growled very loudly and tried to cover my ears. Their voices were echoing.

"Hiccup try to whisper, his hearing might be very sensitive."

"Oh sorry. Ronde are you alright?"

Those voices, "Assstrid?...Hiiiiccup?...What'sss going on why issss everything so loud and bright?"

What the? I'm slurring my words? But I'm in my Chimera Dragon form, I learn how to speak perfectly while I'm like this.

"Ok, he remembers us but he's still slurring his words. It might have not completely worn off but he might remember this conversation."

'What are they talking about?' I tried getting up one last time but I fell again.

"Ronde just stay still I don't think your body had time to recover."

'Recover?' I tried to speak, "What...happened lassst night? In fact, why are you...two...here?"

I believe it was Astrid who spoke, "We'll tell you when you're better but right now is there anything you need?"

I feel a little dehydrated, "Water...please."

I think she responded but I quickly dozed off.

But when the sound of water sloshing within something woke me up. I slowly opened my eyes. The light was as intense on my eyes and saw a barrel full of freshwater. I quickly got up, grabbed it, poured the whole thing down my throat and splashed so much water onto my face. I look around to see Astrid, Hiccup, Toothless and Stormfly around my house.

"Whatssss going ooon? And why do keeeep sssslurring my wordsss?" I asked concerned.

Both Astrid and Hiccup looked at me and told me the story of what happened last night. How the twins tricked me into eating dragon nip, the destruction I caused to some parts of the village and how I acted like a complete fool. I was embarrassed by all of it yet I don't remember a thing!

Suddenly I noticed how Stormfly kept looking at me funny. I asked her what I did to her. She told me that I said something to her that I would never do to a female dragon. She told me exactly what I said and I never was so embarrassed and my scales have never been that red before. But I quickly apologized to her and explained to her why I was acting the way I was. She somewhat understood and forgave me.

Now the next problem.

_**(Sometime later during the late afternoon)**_

I was still the Chimera dragon and I found Hiccup and Astrid in the middle of the village and tried to get their attention. After that, I tried to take them to a place where we can talk privately.

"Hiccup I'm so sorry for what I did, please allow me to help clean what I destroyed," I said.

"The twins are paying for damages and help fix what you broke so don't worry about it." He responded.

"I knew it just...I still feel responsible for this mess, the twins didn't force me to eat that food, it was my choice."

Astrid intervenes between us, "Look I can already tell that you two are going to go back and forth with each other. So instead of arguing how about, we help each other out. Hiccup is there anything on our list that Ronde can do to help?"

He took out a book on the side of pants and looked through its notes then his eyes widened, "This could work, Ronde how are you with kids?"

"Odd question, I don't know I mean the kids at my home hated me because of my father so...yeah I don't know. Baby dragons however I don't have any patience for." I told him.

"Well, how would you like to help train our younger kids to understand and train dragons?" He asked.

I thought it over, "Yeah I guess that could work but do you want me to have a dragon to help build the confidence around dragons or back as a human?"

"You being a dragon could help those who are nervous, yeah let's do that. That began in 3 days in the training area."

"Ok, but I have one problem."

"You do? What is it."

"As I said before I hate begging people to do things for me. But I don't have any clothes again."

Astrid facepalm, "No I'm not buying you any more clothes. You know what, Hiccup adds that to the twin's list of destruction they're buying you new clothes."

"So I'll guess I'll stay like this until then huh? I mean it has been a while so I guess this is a nice change of pace. But where will I sleep? Outside maybe? But if another storm goes by I'll just sleep in my house naked."

"I didn't need to hear that Ronde," Astrid said.

"Oh, sorry."

The few days were enjoyable, playing with the other dragons, flying around the village and watching how people and dragons interact with each other. A few villagers noticed me and some of them wanted me as their dragon but I quickly just walked away. They kept putting their hands near my snout. It was getting annoying that if a person dared to put their hands out near me I would snarl viciously at them.

Sleep wasn't that bad either, the soft grass was much more comfortable than a cave floor, and the weather was manageable.

Until finally the day had arrived.

Hiccup brought me to the training area, it looks like they managed to replace the iron bars I blasted. There were random dragons here as well. The kids were running around playing with each other but only a few were looking at the dragons.

Hiccup gathered the children and they listened to everything he was explaining like stats of the dragon and what they could do.

Some of the kids were bored and weren't paying attention. Others were scared to come close to a dragon, and I was somewhat confused why I mean there are dragons just walking around the village.

"Ok kids, watch one of you want to touch a dragon?" Hiccup asked.

Not one kid answered. I think they are scared.

"No one? Come on, they're not going to bite you. Just look at me a Toothless."

Toothless then lick Hiccup and then pounce on him. Some of the kids found that hilarious, the others We're even more scared than the fact that he pounced on him.

One of the kids raised their hands.

"Yes, you have a question?"

The kids stood up and asked, "The dragon won't hurt me right?"

"No he won't but he will lick you," Hiccup responded.

The kid walked in front of him and Hiccup leaned down to the kid's height. "See put your hand like this and let him come to you ok."

The kid nodded and extended his hand towards Toothless. Then Toothless placed his snout in the kid's palm.

"Wow." The kid said amazed.

Most of the kids were excited and examining Toothless. However, there were still a few that were still uncomfortable.

Hiccup noises it as well and then turns towards me. "Ron- I mean...Chimera please come here."

As I got closer the children became more scared, not that I blame them. I mean I'm bigger than Toothless and just around the size of Valka Stormcutter while I'm like this. And the scary part is I'm not done growing, I'm not an adult yet so I don't know how big I'll get when I'm older. But the rate between when I first became a dragon and now is massive so I'll be big.

I sat down right next to him and Toothless.

"Ok see this dragon? He may look big and scary but he is very nice like all dragons."

'Big and scary? Please I'm big and adorable...it a good thing that I didn't say that out loud.'

"Mr. Chief, is he really nice?" Asked one of the kids.

Before he had a chance to talk I lowered myself to the ground and smiled without showing my sharp teeth. I don't want to repeat the same mistake like with Blom.

"See he smiled, he's happy to see you all."

One of the braver kids stood up and came towards me and rubbed my nose. I tried my best not to giggle because it tickled.

"Oh sorry, Mr. Dragon, does this tickle?"

I didn't respond; they didn't need to know that I could understand them. But it was getting harder to not laugh.

Hiccup notices and tries to change the subject. "Alright see he's just happy to see you all. Would some of you like to play and fly with some of the dragons?"

All but one of the kids were excited.

For the next 30 minutes, Hiccup had some of the kids ride on Toothless's back and fly on a random person gronckle hovering around the arena.

However, the kids that were interested in me were climbing on me and pulling on my tail. But there was this little girl that was braiding some parts of my hair, it actually didn't look that bad.

But I noticed that there was one kid that didn't participate in anything, in fact, he was far away from everyone else. Once every kid stopped playing on top of me I slowly walked towards the kid.

When I was in front of him he looked scared and nervous. Then I heard him say, "P-please stay away from me."

I noticed that his eyes were closed as I went towards the side of the wall he was on and cloak myself to the wall.

When he opened his eyes he was confused.

When I'm invisible my whole body itself is cloak to my environment, the only things that aren't invisible are my eyes and the inside of my mouth when I open them. So I open my eyes to a point where I can see my surroundings

The boy was looking around the place confused.

I made a noise to show I was there next to him. He looked in my direction confused until he saw my eyes. It was at that point I shifted my scales color starting from my head down to the end of my tail.

He looked at me amazed, "You can turn invisible? That cool..."

He seemed amazed but then he looked disappointed. I tried to get him to the group of kids by nudging him. But he didn't want to go.

"No, I'm sorry but I don't want to go over there. I don't think they like me." He said nervously.

'You think or you know that they don't like you? Something tells me you're just nervous being around people. But I think I have a way to fix that.'

I lowered myself to the floor and made a gesture with my head telling him to get on.

He looked surprised and asked, "Y-you want me to get on your back?"

I tried to make a friendly noise to say yes, he was nervous but he climbed on and held on to the base of my neck. Once I felt he had a strong grip I got up and began walking around the arena.

Some of the kids looked jealous while others were amazed.

"Guys look at the purple dragon!" One of them screamed.

"Look Berry is on the big dragon."

I turn towards the boy, 'Berry? That your name huh? Well, let's see if I can make you popular among these kids.

I somewhat picked up my speed and I heard him laughing. I was speed walking around the arena.

After a few minutes I sat down and the kid slid off my back. When he touched the ground all of the kids were Bombarding him with questions and trying to climb on me. The kid named Berry was somewhat enjoying the attention and I was getting annoyed, but Hiccup calls them all to come near him. I was relieved, no more piggyback riding but I hope that I help that kid.

"Alright, kids did you all have fun?" Hiccup asked the crowd.

They all cheered.

"Good, I'm glad that we all had fun. Maybe one day you can befriend a dragon for yourself. I think it's best to have a dragon to be with you by your side always."

After that, the parents of the kids told them all back and It was just me and Hiccup.

"That was nice of you for what you did to that kid. He was always the shy one of the group." Hiccup said.

I looked towards the entrance, "It's nothing, I didn't want him to grow up without any friends because of his shyness. So I tried to make him the center of the attention while he was having fun. He was the only kid I let Ride on my back today so hopefully, that will help him get attention from the other kids. But these kids are lucky to experience something like this."

"That they are." After a few moments of silence Hiccup then said, "I thought that you only let certain people on your back?"

"Don't push your luck Hiccup," I said in a serious tone.

He laughed and said, "It's still the middle of the afternoon, what are you going to do now?"

"Eat, then gather my thoughts and finally sleep," I responded. "What about you?"

"I think i'm going to try to finish my latest project."

"That cool," I said nonchalantly.

A few awkward moments went by then he asked, "Are you really not going to ask me what it is? I mean I got the idea from you."

"Nope, I don't want to know. If it is so good that you got it from me then surprise me whenever it's finished."

"Fine, I will."

"There I just gave you extra motivation to finish it so good luck I'll see you tomorrow."

I flew out of the arena and back to my house. But when I got there there was something at my doorstep.

I got closer their was a box and there was a letter on top.

_-To Ronde-_

_These are the new clothes that the twins bought you. But they don't have a sense of style and they were going to buy you the cheapest clothes that the store had. However, I did put some of my currency into this outfit. I think you'll like it and hopefully, this is extra motivation for you to not rip these clothes._

_-Astrid-_

'She chiped in some of her money? I hope it wasn't a lot, if possible I need to find a way to pay her and the others back. But let's see these new clothes.'

I opened the box and I was immediately shocked. These clothes look very expensive and they bought me a black wool shirt! But I only saw one black sheep on this island. And looked at this coat for when I get cold, brown boots and pants that were dark as well. "Wow there just...wow, I like these clothes and yet I haven't even put them on yet."

I quickly looked around and smelled the air around me. No one is here.

I quickly changed back to my human self and once I recovered I put on the new clothes. And they felt very nice and I was warm.

"These feel amazing! I can't believe how comfortable these feel!"

After cheering out loud I went back inside my house and tried to gather as much currency I had to get some food. My only regret is not grabbing that chest full of gold from the Foreverwing nest that I took off of an abandoned ship in that ship graveyard. Still can't believe that someone was hiding hair or wigs in one of those ships.

But I finally found enough to get me a decent meal. Now then I just need to get there.

After a few minutes of walking, I made it to the Great Hall and ordered some food. Again the food here isn't that bad but back at my home the food was just delicious, they could always find the right way to balance the flavor.

But enough about food, what Hiccup said to those kids has got me thinking. What if I had a dragon to be my partner? I mean Combustion did help on a few rescues but I think I need a dragon that is at least close to my strength or at least speed when I'm the Chimera Dragon. Yet of the dragons on this island that could do it, it would be Toothless. But Toothless belongs to Hiccup and I have never seen a NightFury during the 7 years I ran away.

Nightmare's, Nadders, Gronckle's, Stormcutter's and Rumblehorn's among the other dragons I've seen on this island wouldn't work. But there has to be one, but who?

Suddenly I heard thunder in the distance. 'No, I'm not dealing with freezing rain again!'

I quickly ran back home.

When I finally made it I could see the storm approaching the island. "I'll say that it will get to this island within 30 minutes. I can't stay out here when it hits. Next thing you know I'll be struck by lightning..."

'Lightning...'

...

"That's it!"

My eyes widened from an idea I just thought of the perfect dragon to be my partner! 'But I can't do this at night it would be too dangerous but at first, light when the sun touches the horizon I'll go after it and hopefully it would follow this storm. But I might need help, but if I remember correctly Hiccup always tried to sneak out during the morning. Yeah, this could work.'

I looked towards the village, "Hiccup you and I are going to have some fun looking for this dragon tomorrow."

I went inside my house and locked the door, 'it might get a little windy out there tonight.'

* * *

**Review or comment will be appreciated tell me what you like about the story that's far and tell me what you dislike I might change it when I get to the prequel of the story.**

**See you guys next in the next chapter****.**


	27. 1st Year Anniversary!

On this day today, it has been one year since I made the prologue to my chapter. Now you're probably wondering why are you saying that? It says in your book that it was published on 6-06-19! And that's true it has but some of you probably haven't realized this but I first published this book during some time in late March on Wattpad. However, I don't know what day that I posted it on that website however I did create that chapter on March 22nd, 2019. I was looking through my emails and then I saw that I sent it to myself on this day so for celebration, I'm going to share something special with you guys then I'm going to show you guys something.

First off I would like to thank each and every one of you for reading my story. I would like to thank all the beta readers who have to help me improve my story and help inspire me to continue writing. You guys have been my inspiration to continue writing, seeing my view count grow and likes and followers to my story continuing the grow has helped me continue writing I'm going to keep writing until I'm satisfied. But I'm not going to lie there were some days that I was actually thinking about deleting this story and stop writing altogether. My Wattpad experience it's not great at all and I honestly do not like that community in some aspects. There are certain stories that deserve more recognition and votes that it has received, there are others that have more grammatical errors, plot holes and sometimes don't make sense and yet those stories have more votes and followers than what it deserves. My story is getting a little bit of traction on that website but I love this community much more.

I do want to apologize for their grammatical errors among other things within my story which I'm trying to fix it but rest assure I have plans to improve this story. And I have plans for the next story to be even better than this one. However, I don't know when I'll be able to publish it. I already have the plan set out for it but I can't handle writing multiple stories at once but it's will come out a few months when this story has concluded.

But if you guys have any questions about this story do not be afraid to PM me you don't have to review the story just PM me and I'll answer them as soon as I can.

Now then the big reveal.

You can see the results for yourself but this it's going to be the new book cover.

Link: www. deviantart thetechman1998/art/How-to-Train-Your-Dragon-New-book-cover-for-Story-834760959

You may have questions about it that my opinion was better than the last one my only regret is not coming up with a way to create a background. But I would like to thank Robotech-animations helping me with this book cover he did the shading a little bit of the character designs. However, I did not realize this he looks exactly how I envisioned Ronde so I asked him if I could use one of his photos for reference and he kindly accept it so that's probably why Ronde looks more realistic. another thing is the person right next to him is, in fact, Kindle me and him are going to be working on character designs for the story what's the next one really soon I will post the link for them either on an update or a chapter whenever they're finished.

This is the last surprise, I promise Robotech-animations did everything but the layout but he did most of the work I only sketched where I wanted certain things to be, he did the rest.

This is my next project after the prequel.

Enjoy

link: www. deviantart thetechman1998/art/Pokemon-mystery-dungeon-Comic-coming-soon-834762716

If you have any questions just PM me

The next chapter is halfway done but this time I'll make sure but there aren't that many errors inside of it.

Oh, Ps I'm writing this on my phone so there are probably mistakes here and there.


	28. Chapter 22 Encounter

**Special Thanks to Lala2003 for helping with grammar and fixing some of the words in this chapter, and WinterCrystal1009 for fixing the first half of this chapter.**

* * *

Hiccup

It was very early in the morning, but only a little bit earlier than I usually wake up. I've been going to sleep in the late hours of the afternoon when I'm done with my chiefly duties. Because of all that, I hadn't had the time to finish my latest project yet, but it was almost done. I just needed to collect a few more of T's scales, then test out the flying aspect of the suit. Though I needed to hurry before everyone else woke up, otherwise I wouldn't be able to take Toothless out flying.

"Toothless," I whisper to get his attention, "Come on bud, let's go flying."

Toothless made an excited warbling noise and followed me downstairs. But he was making way too much noise.

"Shhhhh, Toothless. I know —believe me, I'm just as excited— but we need to stay silent," I whispered.

I was in front of my door, hoping to find no one on the other side. "Ok, today is going to be a good day. I'm just going to fly with Toothless for a few hours then come home," I mumbled to myself while turning the doorknob.

When I opened it, I was shocked to see someone standing there. Even more so that it was Ronde, of all people, who was there. He had his hand poised to knock on my door with a confused look on his face. But that's when I noticed that he had new clothes and a bag.

"Oh, you're up already? I was just about to wake you up myself before anyone else got up, but this can work for me," he said while lowering his hand.

"Ronde? What are you doing here this early?" I asked, concerned.

He looked at me, then behind me and saw Toothless, he had a grin on his face and moved aside to let us out and said, "If I didn't know any better, I'd think you're trying to sneak out and fly with Toothless again. Well, either I could come with you and ride on Toothless's back, or you could wait for me to find you in the air while I'm a dragon. Either way, I need to talk to you."

I didn't have time to wait. I could only picture Gobber waking up as we spoke. "Fine, get on Toothless and hurry please."

He backed up and gave me and Toothless some space so we could get out of the house. I hastily mounted Toothless' saddle and told Ronde to get on. He climbed on behind and gripped my shoulders. We quickly flew off, away from Berk, but not before I saw Gobber emerging from his own hut. Of course he saw us.

"HICCUP! GET BACK HERE!"

I spurred my dragon even faster away from Berk.

Just as soon as Berk left our sights, Toothless slowed his pace I turned to Ronde and asked, "Ok, what is it you wanted to talk about?"

He let go of my shoulders and held on to the saddle. "Remember yesterday when you were talking to those kids about how you believe that each person should have a dragon of their own?"

"Yes, I remember. Why?"

"Well, what you said, it really resonated with me, and I couldn't stop thinking about it last night. Hiccup, I think I should have a dragon of my own, as a partner."

You know, I hadn't really considered that since I know he can become one. But I couldn't understand why, so I asked him.

"When I decide to leave the village, I want to help if I do get into a situation and I want someone to be around if I get… lonely. As I've said before, that Typhoomerang, the one I named Combustion, helped me stop the Dragon Hunters, but there were times that we were too big to help so I had to try to become human to help free and knock out a few guards. If that were to happen again, I need a dragon to back me up, right?."

I could see where he was coming from but... "That's fine, but why do you need to have a conversation with me? We have plenty of dragons in our village that don't have riders."

"Maybe that's true, but you don't have any dragons that can help without any risks," he responded.

I was confused, "All missions have risks, Ronde."

"No, that's not… agh!" he sounded frustrated when I looked back over at him. He was scratching his head in frustration and placed his hand on his chin, it looked like he was thinking until his eyes widened as if he had an idea. "Oh ok, remember when I was out of control during the Bog Burglars raid?"

At that moment I remembered all the destruction that he caused, he could have easily killed someone if it wasn't for our dragons calming him down. "How could I forget?"

"Well, you saw me at my wildest and you know how fast I am from when I ran away from the Day of Peace meeting. I need a dragon that can at least equal my speed and strength. But none of the dragons in your village come close to that except for Toothless, but Toothless is your partner."

I looked back at him. "So why did you want to have this conversation with me?"

"I just thought that maybe you could help me find the dragon that I'm looking for? I mean, that is why I asked Toothless to go in this direction."

"You did what now?" It took me a while to notice, but we weren't taking our usual flightpath. I turned back towards Ronde and asked, "How did you—"

"I guess I didn't fully explain it before, when I told you about my past. Sometimes I can imitate the abilities of other dragons, I can still do a few things when I'm human but it is very limited. In this case, I can communicate my thoughts when I'm touching a dragon. I picked that up when I was at the Bewilderbeast's nest from the king himself. When I'm a dragon, I can do it without touching them, but my range is only a couple of yards."

I was amazed and asked, "What else can you do?"

He just shrugged, "For what I know, nothing major. I can't breathe fire or stick to surfaces, but when I get really, angry steam comes off my body. My sense of smell and hearing are enhanced, and I'm just a bit stronger than what I look like. But that's about it."

So that's what happened when Snotlout angered him. I could've sworn I saw steam coming off of him when we first met too. Back then, I told myself I imagined it.

"So Hiccup, can you help me find the dragon I'm looking for?" he asked.

"I mean, we're already out this far, but how long will it take to find the right dragon? What species is it?"

He smiled then patted Toothless back while saying, "Not long, we'll probably be back in a few hours, some time in the afternoon maybe. As for the dragon, I can't tell you what it is just yet."

"You drag me all the way out here into the middle of nowhere—" I spread my arms wide, gesturing to the desolate ocean, a playful smirk creasing my eyes. "—and won't even tell me what dragon we're looking for. That seems hardly fair."?"

He laughed and said, "If I were to tell you, you wouldn't want to help me find it. If I were to leave it a mystery, you would be more interested to find out what kind of dragon I am talking about. Could it be a new type of dragon that only I know about or is it a dragon that is a rare sight? You, my friend, just have to wait and find out."

"Tell me what you're looking for," I demanded.

He shook his head, "I will do no such thing, Hiccup. You just have to wait until we find it, and we should be able to find one, but I know that we need to rest. In a few hours, there should be an island coming up, so we can rest there and continue on our journey."

Great, he's taking advantage of my weakness: discovering new types of dragons. "Fine Ronde, but at least tell me this."

He turned his gaze on me, and it was his turn to look perplexed.

"Is the dragon dangerous?" I asked.

"Yep."

"Is it going to try to kill us," I asked again.

He shrugged, "Most likely."

I looked forward to the open sky, "Bring it on. Ronde, you lead the way."

He gave me an unreadable expression and said, "Fly above the clouds."

I was confused but I didn't question him. We flew above the Clouds.

"Hiccup don't look at me, I have to...take off my clothes..."

Oh...that's why he wanted to be up here. I didn't look at him for several moments, but then I heard him slide off of Toothless' back.

For a few moments I didn't hear anything, until I saw him burst out of the clouds as the Chimera dragon.

"Still just as painful, but I should be fine for two more changes back and forth for today," he said to himself. When I noticed the bag he had on his shoulder, I realised that it must have been holding his clothes.

He sniffed the air and looked at me before saying, "I believe I found the dragon I'm looking for. It's a scent that I haven't smelled before, but that let's me know that it's a dragon I haven't previously encountered. It is a dragon, though, so follow me."

He flew ahead of us, and Toothless followed quickly after. But then, I thought of something; what kind of dragon were we after? It seemed like it was a dragon that he knew about but had never encountered, so it had to be rare or something.

A few hours had gone by, yet we hadn't said anything to each other. So I was surprised when he said, "Hey Hiccup, the island I was talking about is just a few minutes away. We can rest there for a bit and maybe get something to eat."

I only responded by nodding. It was a good idea since we hadn't eaten breakfast because we hadn't thought that we would be out this long. I saw the island coming up and we prepared ourselves to land.

Ronde landed on the island first, touching down on a sandy beach, and Toothless followed shortly after.

Ronde scanned the environment and sniffed the air. But his expression shifted to alarm and he took another whiff in the air.

I was a little bit worried about his facial expression, so I asked, "Ronde is everything OK? What's with that look?"

He got on all fours and sniffed around the beach until he was close to the edge of the forest. He turned around and looked at me and said, "Something or someone has been to this island before. The scent is so faint that it might have been a while ago, but we should be cautious just in case."

I nodded and dismounted Toothless, "Well, now what, Ronde?"

He looked at me and said, "Start a campfire. I'll go get some food for you and Toothless."

He then opened his wings and flew off.

* * *

45 minutes later.

I set up the campfire with a little help from Toothless (okay, fine, Toothless did all the hard work), and Ronde came back with plenty of fish for me to eat. However… he regurgitated some food for Toothless. I didn't think he would do that.

He caught me staring at him while he was giving Toothless food, "I know that it's disgusting but that was how I was fed when I was younger, Hiccup. Plus, it was the only way to carry enough food for you both."

"I know, it's just I didn't expect you to do that," I responded.

"Well, that's how I helped that Sand Wraith by bringing her food. That whole situation was just weird."

"Why weird?" I asked.

I then saw him scratch the back of his neck, "She thought that the reason I was being nice to her was that...I wanted her as a mate."

"Mate? You mean like lovers?"

"Yes, but when she found out that I wasn't old enough to be her mate, she was still confused about why I was being so nice to her. She was always a leader. She always took charge of her destiny, but the moment her wings broke, and she needed help, she didn't know how to ask. Once she realized that her way wasn't going to work, she allowed me to help her. But she got the wrong message while I was doing it."

He then looked at me. "Enough about me, do you mind if I asked you a personal question?"

I was a little worried when he asked me that, but I said, "Sure, what is it?"

I saw him look a little nervous; he was twiddling his claws around. "What was your father like to you? Or what is he to you?"

I looked at him, confused, but I think he took my facial expression the wrong way. He then said, "I'm sorry, it just your father was a leader too and I wanted to know how that affected your life. Did– has your father made you do something that you didn't want to do?"

I stared at the open ocean, reminiscing all the time I spent with my father. "Yes, my father didn't believe in me at first. Before we had dragons, all I did was invent something to make capturing dragons easier but usually, my inventions ended up destroying some part of the village. When I was 15, all I could think about was killing a dragon to prove to everyone that I wasn't a weakling. I want to do it to make my father proud, but then I met Toothless and the rest is history. My father did force me to go to dragon training and told me to stop being myself, but it all worked out in the end."

"I see, I guess we do have something in common. Our fathers wanted the best for us, but their method of doing it also affected our lives. But I guess not always for the better," Ronde said quietly.

"Hey, Ronde why did you want to ask me that?"

He looked down at me and then towards the open sea and said, "One day, if I decide to go back home, I will have to come face to face with my father again. But I don't know how to feel about him, I still have mixed feelings about everything. I love my father because he is my dad but I hate him for everything he's done to me, what he's put me through. I tried every day to impress him while we were training, but all he did was talk down to me and call me a disappointment. I just don't know what I'll do if I ever see him again."

"Well, I understand what you mean but maybe just try to forgive him. Not all at once, not right away, but eventually. He is your father after all," I said.

He sighed and looked at the horizon. "Actions speak louder than words, and every training session I've been through, I still remember it like it was yesterday. Every Punch, kick and cut I remember crystal clear. Yet, even after all that, I don't remember one time he told me he was proud of me or even told me that he loved me. I can't remember anything nice he's done for me; all I can remember is pain."

I didn't know what to say after that. I mean, his father and mine are very different. His father had more of a forceful approach from what I can tell.

Suddenly, he got up and began to walk back towards the forest. "We can rest for another hour or so. If I'm correct the dragon I'm looking for should be resting somewhere before it moves, or marking its territory. If it does move, we have about three hours before it moves again. The next island is about thirty to forty-five minutes away, so we should make it. But for now, I'm going to change back. I need to be human in order to gain its trust."

I looked at him confusedly, "Wouldn't it be better for you to be a dragon to gain its trust?"

"Under normal circumstances, yeah," he responded. "But the dragon might think I'm crazy if I ask it to be my partner. When we engage the dragon, I just have to be careful."

He walked away from me and went deep inside the forest to the point where I could barely see him. But even from this distance, I could hear his body changing. I heard some pops, the cracking of bones, and a muffled scream.

He slowly walked out of the forest and pointed back the way he came, but he looked pretty spent and wasn't walking right. "Come on, let's look around the forest to see if we can find any fruit to give to the others when we get back."

Both Toothless and I followed him towards the forest. But I noticed how he wasn't walking at his usual pace. At length I had to ask, "Ronde are you ok? We can rest on the beach, if you're not up for this."

"I'm fine, just give me a minute to move around. This is normal for me when I change back from a dragon," he said while walking towards the forest, slightly out of breath.

I followed after him with Toothless behind me.

Ronde was looking above at the trees for fruit. "How does this island not have any fruit or coconuts? This is very unlikely to happen."

"What do you mean?" I asked, "There are all sorts of islands that don't have any natural flora."

"Yes, but look around this is a lush and vibrant forest. These trees have to grow from something, yet I didn't see any acorns or seeds on them. I do see stems on the trees, as if they were picked out recently..."

I noticed him looking at the tree more closely and carefully. "Ronde is everything ok?"

He stared at me then back towards the tree. "I don't know. Looking at these stems, they appear to have been ripped from the fruit recently. But that can't be right… unless..."

"...Something or someone is on this island with us," I said to finish his sentence.

Ronde then looked around the forest. "We need to leave right now. Get on Toothless's back..."

Before I had a chance to respond, he pushed me down on the ground and dropped to the ground beside me, signalling Toothless to do the same.

I was a little bit angry that he pushed me. "Ronde, what the heck—"

He covered my mouth with his hand. "Shhhhh.."

I was about to remove his hand but that when I noticed he was shaking. But before I could question him, I heard something in the distance.

...Thump... Thump….

It sounds like something was walking while dragging something.

Just then, I saw a figure moving around. It was maybe fifteen feet away from us, growing farther, and it was carrying something. The figure was definitely human, but I couldn't tell if it belonged to a Viking or not. But whoever this person was, he was very big. But what was weird was that this person had huge leaves covering his left side, almost like a cloak. But I could barely see it because of the shadow of the trees.

The person put down whatever he was carrying and sat down on a rock.

Then all of a sudden, I heard Ronde whisper something, "No-that's impossible. Why...is...he...here?"

Suddenly, I saw Ronde's face shifting from a worried expression to one of pure rage.

Why is he angry? Does he know that person? I looked closer towards the person, shifting the fronds of a plant blocking my line of sight, and noticed he pulled out a bullhorn from the opposite side of where he was sitting.

A bullhorn? I thought.

That was when I recognised the man's face.

No, I thought he was dead. Why is he even here?

Ronde got even angrier and whispered very quietly, "Drago Bludvist."

* * *

Ronde

Of all the things I thought I'd see today, I never would have thought I would see him again!

I knew something was off, and I knew that there was another person on this island. How could I have been so stupid to think it was a good idea to stay on this island to rest?

My anger was beginning to grow with every second I looked at him. All I could see was the army of dragons in his fleet that I couldn't save. I felt so helpless when his army had discovered me. But now, I can hear the cries of dragons on his ship and smell the iron of the blood that poured out of my stomach when he used that damn bullhorn on me!

My body began to move on its own, but I didn't care. All I cared about was ending this madness! Steam started to come out from each pore on my body.

"Ronde, I think we should go before something bad happens," I heard Hiccup whisper.

I didn't care.

I want...

I need justice.

He must pay for everything he has done!

He. Will. Suffer!

I WILL HAVE MY REVENGE FOR EVERY DRAGON AND INNOCENT PERSON HE HAS KILLED!

I quickly dashed through the trees and undergrowth towards him.

Drago heard the commotion barrelling towards him and quickly prepared himself for an incoming attack.

I burst out of the bushes and jumped in the air, preparing to punch or kick him, whatever best suited his first counter.

He grabbed his bullhorn with his right hand and swung it toward me.

I grabbed the bullhorn with my left hand, near the base of the metal, and kicked him solidly in his chest. The force of the kick was enough to make him lose his balance, and he fell over on his back. When he did, the bullhorn slipped from his grasp. I placed my left foot on his right arm, my left leg on his thighs, my right hand tight around his throat and my left ready to slash him. He couldn't move even if he wanted to.

Then I heard his voice and he was smiling. "An assassin sent to kill me? And a young one at that. Go on then, do it."

"YES, DON'T WORRY I'LL MAKE IT SLOW AND PAINFUL," I said darkly.

I raised my left hand and prepared to go for his throat.

"DO IT!" he roared.

I struck down towards his throat. Before I could finish my attack, I heard a desperate voice behind me.

"RONDE, DON'T DO IT!"

I made contact with the ground inches from Drago's throat, only giving him a small cut. It wouldn't even scar.

Hiccup and Toothless were behind me. I heard Toothless growling and Hiccup talking to me. "Ronde, whatever he's done to you it's not worth killing him for it. I know that if you do this, you'll regret it for the rest of your life. You are not a killer."

The moment he said that, the image of blood on my claws appeared in my mind. My father's blood when he attacked me and my instincts took over. That kid's blood when I scratched and bit him as he tortured me. Then, the Bog Burglars raid when I saw blood on my claws.

I was distracted. That was all it took.

Drago took advantage of my hesitation by moving his right arm from under my foot. He grabbed me by my shirt, got up, and threw me towards Hiccup and Toothless.

I braced myself and landed on my feet somewhere near Toothless.

Drago looked at me. "You have vengeance in your eyes, but I've never seen you before, yet you look like one of those Krogan people. Are you one of his offspring or someone from a village I destroyed?"

I have never growled before on purpose when talking while I'm human, but what he just said enraged me and brought out another side of me. "DON'T YOU DARE COMPARE ME TO THAT TRAITOR!"

Hiccup came to stand beside me. "Ronde, just calm down."

I couldn't— I wouldn't. This man was responsible for the destruction of other nations, capturing dragons and making the Warlords grow their armies with the Dragon Hunters and Dragon Trappers. HE MUST PAY!

Drago then spoke again. "Ahh, traitor. You must be from one of his clans, not from the island outside of Afri."

My eyes widened from horror. If he knew of those islands near my home, that means he must have discovered some of the tribes that we were trading with and either destroyed them or recruited some of them to his Army.

But before I had a chance to respond, Hiccup said to Drago, "Even after your defeat, there are still people and dragons suffering because of you. My friends and I had discovered people all over midgard, from farmers who had their homes destroyed, to traders who have had their livelihoods stripped away because of you."

I wandered if we were talking about the same tribes.

Drago laughed dryly. "I see, Dragon Master, hmm, so even to this day my choices are affecting the world, as they should be."

I was about to launch myself at him again, but Hiccup put his hand out to stop me. However, this time I saw something in Hiccup eyes as he was staring at Drago that made me stop.

Then Hiccup spoke. "Drago, where is the Bewilderbeast you used to attack Berk?"

Drago gave him a serious glare and simply stated, "Gone."

"Gone were?" Hiccup shot back.

"Gone, it fell to your dragon so it came to this island to recover and it left me here," he responded, "Where it is now doesn't matter anymore. It's worthless to me."

My rage surfaced once more, and I yelled, "You abused that dragon to follow your every command, yet it is worthless to you because it loses a fight! You rat!"

"I planned to liberate this world from the tyranny of dragons, to control them all and get rid of any threat. No more wars, no more killing one another… The Dragon Master crushed that dream the moment he defeated the king of dragons. I know there are others that have taken my place, and I can't wait to see how the world suffers for not following my ideas for a perfect society."

"You kill without reason, you cause destruction and death wherever you go, yet you call that working towards peace!? You made mountains of bones and broken bodies, yet you think you are the right person to lead others to a peaceful future!?" I yelled incredulously.

Drago sat down on a rock right next to a net full of fruit and fish. "Those who would not blindly follow me were threats. If they didn't join me then, they will try to stop me later. Either you're with me or you're against me, there is no inbetween."

"So what about my home, Afri!? Did you try to invade it while I was gone?" I bit out.

He laughed which caused my anger to grow and then he responded with, "After my Bewilderbeast had control over the dragons, I was going to do just that to see if the ruler of that land would get in my way. But there was no point invading that place without my beast. Even if your people lost the invasion, my armies and dragons would have been diminished. It would have taken me years to replace what might have been destroyed if I had raided that place without control over the dragons."

I was about to yell again, but then Hiccup roughly grabbed my shoulder, pulling me back. I turned around facing him, and he said, "Ronde let's just go. There's nothing he can do while he's here."

I couldn't believe Hiccup just said that when this man had taken his father away from him. He should be madder than I am right now. Yet he's the one who wants to leave?

He walked towards the forest and said, "Come on Toothless, you too. Ronde, let's just find this dragon of yours and go back to Berk."

"But what about him?" I pointed towards Drago, who was eating raw fish from the net.

Hiccup didn't say anything, just kept going towards the forest.

I looked towards Drago. "If I ever run into you again, I won't go for your throat next time. I'll rip out your heart just to feel how cold it is."

He laughed. "I'll be waiting here, Boy."

I ran after Hiccup through the forest, and I found him on the beach waiting for me to get on Toothless and fly off. Once we did, I gave him new directions to follow the path of the Dragon I was looking for.

But after that, neither of us said anything for the past few minutes.

The awkward silence between us was starting to irritate me, so I said, "Why did you want to leave that monster there? He needs to pay for everything he has done."

Hiccup was silent for just a few moments before responding, "I do want justice, but I don't want to end up like him. He has done wrong, but it is not our place to take his life, Ronde. An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind."

I didn't even think about that. Drago's actions have gotten Hiccup's father killed. He must be equally —if not more— angry than I am from seeing him. But I was the only one acting on impulse, I'm such a fool.

But Hiccup then said, "So, I'm guessing you didn't notice it."

I was confused, but before I had a chance to respond Hiccup said, "Now that I think about it, you only had one encounter with him, so you probably wouldn't have noticed."

I spoke, "What do you mean? What was I supposed to notice?"

"Drago has given up on life."

"What?" I said confused.

"He did want you to kill him, and what he said kind of confirmed that. Without his precious Dragon Army and Fleet, he has nothing, he's finished. He is just waiting for his time to run out," Hiccup stated.

I was confused again; there was no way that the self proclaimed Dragon God would do something like that. It didn't make sense to me.

"Ronde did you notice something when he threw you?"

I tried to think about it with clarity now, since I was overcome with rage at the time. There wasn't that much force when he threw me. In fact, when I was distracted he could have grabbed my throat, but instead he grabbed my shirt.

"You were so angry that you didn't notice it, didn't you?" Hiccup asked, studying my expression.

"Yes I was, I'm sorry that you saw me like that."

Hiccup turned towards me. "Ronde, what happened to you? I've never seen you act like that or even close, except maybe the time with the Bog Burglars. Really, what was that?"

Honestly, I was a little worried myself. "I don't know, I was just so angry when I saw him. I had flashbacks of what he did to me and the other dragons on his fleet. It just angered me and I just acted on emotions, I wasn't thinking. I just wanted him to pay."

After a few moments, Hiccup asked me, "Ronde, if that's how you feel about Drago, then how would you react towards your dad?"

The realization of what he said struck me hard, my father has done more things to me than Drago Bludvist has. How would I react if I faced my father? I don't know; I love my father because he is my dad, the person who raised me and I have respect for him, but I just hate him as a person for his actions.

Hiccup was waiting for my response, and I believed I had the answer.

"Hiccup, my hatred for my father stems from everything he has done to me and how he treated me. My mentor and my adopted father were both more like a father then he ever was. Still, I do have my respect for him. He's done many things to make my home more peaceful. I believe I won't act the same way I did today towards him."

Hiccup faced the direction of where Toothless was heading. "Make sure you keep that in mind when you face him, Ronde."

"I'll try, but remember this, Hiccup. You've only met him once. I lived with him for ten years."

"By the way, is that the island?"

I tried to look around him to see what he was talking about. This island was probably where the dragon could rest before it followed another storm. The island was covered in fog but it wasn't so thick to the point where it would be impossible to see through.

"I believe so, go towards it and land in the middle but try your best not to make any noise. The dragon has the element of surprise on its side."

We flew towards the middle of the island in a haze of mist and fog, the atmosphere around me was almost peaceful. I got off Toothless and began looking around the area. We were in an open place with nothing but dirt and rocks in one direction, the forest behind us, but ahead seemed to be nothing but more rocks and dirt.

Hiccup got off of Toothless and whispered, "Why am I getting a feeling of déjà vu right now?"

I didn't respond to him. I was looking around trying to see if there were any signs of life. And as I was walking around I noticed long claw marks on the ground. I leaned closer towards and examined it. These markings were recent, very recent. That means that I was right about this place too, and the dragon could still be here, probably resting, but if we weren't careful we might have been in danger.

I headed towards Hiccup and walked next to him while whispering, "The dragon is very likely to be here but we need to be careful how we go about from here, OK?"

"Ronde, maybe I can be more helpful if you tell me what kind of dragon we are about to face." Hiccup stated with frustration.

I mean, we made it this far, he might have some useful knowledge about it so I guessed it was about time I should tell him. "The dragon we're looking for is a Skri-"

The hair on the back of my head stood up, goosebumps ran up my body. There was a static pressure around me that made every fiber of my body scream. These were my instincts telling me something was wrong, and I was pretty sure I knew the reason.

It was here.

Hiccup was confused when I stopped mid-sentence. "Ronde are you OK?"

I looked around to see any signs of it or at least hear it. But all I could hear was Hiccup questioning me and Toothless growling. He could sense it too.

But in the fog, I noticed a blue light and an unfamiliar crackling sound. That was when I noticed a light getting brighter and brighter.

I soon realized what was happening, I quickly pushed Hiccup towards Toothless and jumped away. In the same second, a stream of lightning almost hit us and scorched the dirt.

Hiccup fell on Toothless, but was looking in the direction where the lightning came from and then back to me. "Ronde, please tell me that not—"

"This was the only dragon that I could think of that could help me. I just need to touch it for a few moments for it to calm down." I said while cutting him off. Naturally, he thought I was insane.

"Do you know how territorial these dragons are?" he asked.

The dragon revealed itself through the vaporous fog and roared while lightning was extruding from its body. The mighty Skrill had its eyes set on me. The dragon was closer to my scale color but it was dark pink with charcoal accents on its scales. Its eyes were pink with pitch-black slits staring at me.

"Amazing." I said, astonished. "This dragon has this much energy and control over lightning? Wow."

The dragon shot another stream of lightning towards me and I barely had time to avoid it. As much as I wanted to admire this dragon I couldn't afford to lose my concentration. I just needed to touch it and maybe it would calm down.

Then the Skrill had its sights set on Hiccup and Toothless. The dragon snarled viciously at them and Toothless was ready to fire a Plasma blast, but I knew that it would only make things worse. So I yelled, "Do not fire, Toothless. It's Already ticked off that we are here."

Toothless didn't fire his blast, but the Skrill was still distracted by them. So at that moment, I ran towards the dragon as quickly as I could and jumped on its back. At the moment of contact, I heard the dragon's thoughts, but I was too busy focusing on holding on to the dragons back to communicate mine.

The Skrill flew in the air and tried to shake me off it's back. I tried to hold its neck but it was difficult, its scales were so smooth that I was sliding off. For some odd reason however, this dragon doesn't have any dorsal spikes on its back; it was just smooth scales.

Which could mean that this is possibly some sort of mutation or this dragon is a f-

My thoughts were cut off when a jolt of electricity pulsed through my body. The Skrill used its abilities to surround its body with lightning. Both the Skrill and I were engulfed in electricity and lightning.

"Ronde!" I heard Hiccup scream my name as I was falling.

But with each passing second, the pain got weaker and less painful. But I lost my hold and fell towards the ground. bBut before I could even react, Toothless caught me mid-air and we landed on the ground.

I was just in a daze. I couldn't concentrate for some odd reason. Something was going through my body that felt foreign yet familiar at the same time. When I was able to think clearly again, I saw Hiccup in my face, checking my pulse.

"Ronde, wake up. Get up please!" he said while repeatedly slapping my face.

I jolted up and looked around.

Hiccup let out a sigh of relief. "Ronde, I thought for a moment you were dead. Are you OK?"

I didn't answer, I just stood up and looked at the Skrill in the sky, slowly descending towards us. I studied my hand, thinking I glimpsed a flicker of static jumping between my middle and index finger.

Hiccup called my name again. "Ronde? Are You ok?"

I looked over to him and tried to get up. "Yeah… I think so. I think my body just adapted and copied the Skrill's abilities at that moment. I think that's why I'm fine right now."

"What? Wait, does that mean you can change into one now?" Hiccup asked.

"I don't know, but I do know it means that I can use it's abilities while I'm the Chimera Dragon. But while I'm like this I have a tolerance to lightning, I guess," I answered.

"So that means that you can't be hurt by the lightning right?"

"Oh no, I said tolerance, not immunity, that lightning stung like hell, that's why I was zoned out for a few moments," I said while looking at the Skrill. The dragon was halfway down to the ground snarling at us with electricity crackling all over its body.

"I heard what the dragon was thinking before it struck me, it wasn't attacking us because we're in its territory. It's attacking because it believes that we're trying to take this place before it has a chance to mark its territory," I turned towards Hiccup. "I can't communicate with it if it's just going to cover itself in lightning again. I might need to change to talk to it."

Hiccup smiled and grabbed my shoulder. "Ronde if you would have told me the type of dragon we would have been dealing with earlier, then this whole process would have been so much easier," he said exasperatedly while pulling something out of his pants pockets. "This isn't my first time dealing with a Skrill, and what I've learned from one of my former enemies is that you need metal to distract a Skrill. But this isn't normal metal so you'll have to be quick."

He pulled out his flaming sword and gave it to me. I looked down at the sword and back to him and said, "What the hell do you want me to do with this? Slay the dragon we've just flown half way across the archipelago to find?"

He slightly laughed and said, "If I remember correctly, the metal properties within the sword can attract this species. I was told that Berserkers used to do this all the time to capture these types of dragons. However, that sword is made from a special type of iron that doesn't easily melt so this might not work, but the fire should be able to distract it long enough for you to touch it and calm it down. But remember to wave the sword slowly to get its attention."

"Why didn't you tell me that you encountered a Skrill before?" I asked.

"I did the day before the meeting when I was telling you my whole life story."

I was slightly embarrassed because I was somewhat tuning out some parts of his story that seemed boring. So maybe it was the way he described the event that made it seem boring.

I spun towards the Skrill who was still snarling at us. "OK, here goes nothing," I said while walking towards the dragon and slowly waving the sword in an arc.

The dragon stopped snarling and descended closer towards me. It's head was tracking the sword, swaying with each movement. I couldn't believe it, this was actually working?

The dragon finally touched the ground, still eyeing the sword. I was in front of the dragon while swaying the sword with my right hand and slowly reaching for it with my left.

I placed my left hand on the dragon's snout, it looked surprised but then I tried to communicate with both mind and my voice and said, "I am not your enemy, we are not here to harm you."

The dragon stopped looking at the sword and stared into my eyes. I sensed a little bit of confusion from the dragon.

Then what happened next shocked me worse than the beast's lightning. The dragon made a warbling noise and asked me in dragon, ("What are you, a Two-leg or a Kin?")

I smiled and said in both mind and in my voice, "I am neither and both at the same time."

The dragon tilted its head in a confused manner. It looked like it trusted me at this moment but I needed to see something to be sure. "I don't know what to call you because I don't know your title but do you mind if I asked you something?"

* * *

Hiccup

I couldn't believe what I was seeing, he was talking to the Skrill. And the dragon seemed to be communicating back to him. But now I just needed to wait.

After a few minutes, they seemed to be disgusted by something. They just kept going back and forth as if they were debating something.

All of a sudden the Skrill was engulfed in lightning and Ronde fell over, looking very scared. I was about to run over and help him but then he placed his hand out in front of the dragon and yelled, "ALRIGHT, YOU WIN! You have a deal, just stop doing that!"

The dragon lowered itself to the ground with a smirk on its face looking almost proud of itself. Ronde, however, looked irritated and got up, brushed off the dirt that was on his clothes and walked towards me with the Skrill behind. The Skrill and Toothless locked eyes on one another. Toothless, looking uncharacteristically cautious, took a few steps back. The Skrill, however, was eyeing him weirdly.

Ronde was in front of me, scratching the back of his head but he looked slightly embarrassed, but then I asked, "What the heck was that all about?"

He was still scratching his head when he answered, "The Skrill agreed to be my partner on two conditions."

"What does it want?" I asked.

He looked even more embarrassed and stuck up his index finger., "One: I need to find a place where the dragon can rest on Berk." He put up another finger, counting them off. "Two: I need to help it find a mate either on Berk or outside of it."

"Is that all? The second one might be harder because Skrill's are very rare but I think you can do it. By the way, what are you going to name him?"

Ronde then looked at the Skrill and back to me and laughed.

"What is so funny?" I asked.

He stops laughing and said with a smile, "The Skrill is a girl and she doesn't care if the dragon is the same species as her; she just wants hatchlings or babies. That's why she's eyeing Toothless the way that she is."

"What?" I quickly looked back at the Skrill, examining her eyes. She was looking at Toothless in a very weird way but then she walked away from him and went towards Ronde's side and growled.

"She said she is interested in Toothless but she doesn't believe that it would work between them," he said while rubbing the dragon's snout affectionately.

I could tell Ronde was thinking about something. "A name, however, might be tough however because we both have to agree on it."

"Weerlig? It means lightning where I'm from… No it doesn't sound very female-like… Kom! No, thunderbolt doesn't work either. Maybe I'll just stick with this language and call you Thunder. Is that OK with you?" Ronde asked the dragon.

The Skrill looked towards the sky, stood up with its wings spread out and roared with lightning spreading everywhere. Suddenly it stopped roaring and lowered itself towards Ronde and gently nudged him.

"She approves. But you need to stop doing that!" Ronde yelled with mock anger.

I smiled and said, "Great you gained her trust now let's go home."

Ronde looked at the Skrill and said, "I need to be on your back and we will fly together with them. They can show you your new temporary home."

The Skrill allowed Ronde on it's back, but Ronde looked like he was having a hard time trying to get a hold on the dragon. He had to wrap his arms and legs around the dragon's neck tightly. The Skrill looked back at him and growled in irritation but Ronde said, "It's not my fault you have such smooth scales, I have nothing to hold on to unless you want me to hold on to your head?"

The Skrill then roared at him then looked at me.

"Hiccup, she wants to get to the island right now so if you could lead the way, please. Ideally before I fall off."

I laughed, these two already have an interesting dynamic. I wondered where it would take them in the future. I got on Toothless's back and we flew off towards Berk with Ronde and his dragon following shortly behind.

* * *

...Later that afternoon...

We finally made it to Berk. We would have come back quicker, but Ronde fell off the Skrill on three different occasions while flying back here. I didn't understand why he didn't want to change into a dragon or just ride with me and Toothless. But he just continued to hang from the dragon's neck. By the time we got to Berk he was hanging upside down from the dragon's neck. When he finally landed near his house, the Skrill shook Ronde until he let go and then the dragon snarled viciously at him.

"OK, I know but we're here. As you can see, there are plenty of dragons down at the village and you can have a place to sleep on top of that mountain!" Ronde yelled.

The dragon looked at Raven Point and then inspected the house. She was sniffing around then growled at Ronde again.

Ronde looked at me and said, "She wants a tour around the village. Hiccup, I'll handle this. I might just show her to the other Dragon Riders, but you have a duty as chief of this village so I'll see you later."

"Yeah, have fun, Ronde, and please be careful," I said while preparing to fly with Toothless.

"Hey," I heard Ronde say.

I turned around to see what he wanted and he gave me a small smile and said, "Hiccup, thank you for helping me find this dragon. I know that this journey was very unpredictable, with Drago Bludvist and everything, but thank you."

I smiled back, waved him goodbye and flew towards the village back towards my home.

As I was flying, I noticed Astrid was there next to Stormfly. I was scared when she saw me but her expression quickly morphed into one of concern.

"Hiccup!" she yelled, but in a way that showed that she was worried about something.

The moment we landed, I got off of Toothless and ran towards her. "Astrid, what's wrong?" I asked.

She punched me in my shoulder and said, "Today of all days was a bad time to sneak out! But that doesn't matter now. You're here and she is too. Come with me quickly."

She hastily got on Stormfly and flew towards the docks. I hopped on Toothless and followed her. But what does she mean by 'she is too' who is she?

When we got to the docks I noticed a huge ship moored there This ship was at least five times bigger than our ships but it was one single vessel.

Stormfly landed on top of the ship and Toothless and I followed shortly after.

We both got off of our dragons and then Astrid whispered in my ear, "Out of caution, we couldn't allow them inside the village, even though I knew that they don't mean any harm, but I think they're here for him."

"They?" I was even more confused.

Suddenly, I saw someone at the end of the ship looking at the open ocean while someone else was standing next to them. The second person noticed that we were there and informed the first. She started walking towards us and I instantly recognised her.

She stopped in front of us and offered a slight bow, "I'm sorry for coming here unannounced and looking the same as we met before but I didn't bring that many changes of clothes and dresses," The woman said.

Then I remembered who this woman was; this was the Queen of Ronde's country, his mother. "You're the Queen, your name is Neurie, correct?"

She nodded and pointed towards the man on her side, "This is my personal guard and long time friend Skild. You never met him that day."

The man waved nonchalantly at us, looking slightly irritated.

"I don't mean do be rude or anything, but how did you find this place and why are you here?" I didn't know why I even asked the last question because I was pretty sure I knew why.

She looked towards the ground and said, "I thought I told you before, I have scouts that travel the world and report back to expand our world map," this time, she didn't look away as a tear slipped down her cheek, but still tried to mask her emotions behind a strange facial expression that I couldn't even read. Before I could decipher it, she spoke, "The other reason is… That purple dragon… where is it?"

The man named Skild got close and grabbed Neurie's shoulder then said, "Neurie you told me that you wouldn't mention it, you know what you told me is impossible. He's gone."

I knew it, she is here for Ronde.

The Queen ignored him and said to us, "Please that dragon is… he's mine please just give me that dragon back."

As she was crying her guard asked us, "I'm sorry she's just saddened about her son. We can leave if you want, but allow us to stay for the day to rest and buy some food and water. We only have a few days worth and the journey back is close to a month of sailing."

"NO!" the Queen screamed at him and then looked towards us crying harder, "Please just let me see that dragon. I just need to see it, he's my..." she didn't finish her sentence but I think I could fill in the blanks

Her guard raised his voice at her, "Neurie get a hold of yourself, this is no way for a Queen to act!"

I couldn't take seeing her like this, so I asked her something, though I already knew what her answer would be. "Tell me why do you want to see that dragon, your highness?"

She looked at me, clearly distraught, and tried to get her words out, but she couldn't. But then she looked towards the ground and said, "You wouldn't believe me even if I told you. You would think I'm going crazy."

I leaned down to her eye level while she was on the ground and said, "Try me."

She looked in my eyes and I could tell —even though she was hiding it well— that she was in a lot of pain. She stood up and said in confidence, "I believe that purple dragon is my son."

Both me and Astrid shared a look at one another and smiled at the Queen's confession. But her guard was sighing and looked towards us apologetically. "Look, I'm sorry. She has been through a lot and—"

I made a gesture telling him that I had this, and I said to the Queen, "I don't believe it's my place to tell you everything we've discovered about that purple dragon but I think I might be able to arrange something so you can see him."

Her eyes widened and she looked so happy. I knew I'd done the right thing. "You… you know don't you? I wouldn't want anything more, please just let me see him."

"We can talk more about it in our Great Hall. Are you two hungry?" I asked.

"We could eat something," said the Queen.

I waved at them to follow me. "Come on, I'll show you two the way there."

I turned towards Astrid and whispered, "I believe it's better to wait for him to come to us. He has a special surprise to show you guys. But I know for a fact he will get upset if we tell him his mother is here. So we'll wait and I'll deal with these two."

"OK, but I think it's better to lead him there, he may get upset but he needs this."

"OK, you do that. He should be walking around the village with a very special dragon following him," I whispered.

Astrid was confused but then she said, "Okay," and went ahead to find Ronde.

"Alright, you two let me show you around Berk."

* * *

Many miles away across the sea, on an island surrounded by hundreds of boats, the Dragon Hunters, former dragon trappers and people from other tribes were gathering. One person entered the hall to meet with the Warlords.

As soon as he got a glimpse of them the man quickly bowed. But this person was frightened by their presence and began to shake and sweat nervously, but quickly introduced himself to them. "H-hello my King and Queen."

The female Warlord noticed him and smiled. "Ah, you must be here with great news. Tell me, did the Bog Burglars capture the chief of Berk and his dragon?"

The man flinched, he knew if he said the wrong thing he would be killed on the spot. "My queen, they failed, they didn't manage to capture the chief and he escaped."

The room became quiet, the man knew that was a very bad sign.

The female Warlord screamed, "THEY FAILED?! THEN WHY ARE YOU HERE!? IF YOU CAME HERE JUST TO TELL ME THAT, I WILL KILL YOU WHERE YOU STAND!"

He took a few steps back and desperately yelled, "I have more to tell! It's good but—"

She was getting impatient and was rapidly stopping her foot on the ground like a spoiled child. "But What? Out with it!"

"I have good news and bad news, but I think it's better if I start with the good news first so it can all make sense." The man inhaled before saying, "The boy that has been causing trouble for us has been eliminated."

What the man said arrested the attention of the other two Warlords, "What do you mean?

"While the Bog Burglars were raiding Berk, the boy was there for some odd reason, but the altercation caused some of their warriors to be severely hurt and captured. The leader of the raid shot their special darts at the chief's Night fury and the dragon attacked the boy by shooting its fire at the boy's face. The Bog Burglars mentioned that even if the boy is somehow still alive, he would have been blinded and incapable of interfering with our work again."

The female Warlord raised an eyebrow. "And how do you know that they're not lying?"

The man pulled out something he was holding on to and tossed it over to the Warlords, "Because of this," he said.

The Warlords examined the object. I looked like a shirt made out of scales, but it was poorly fashioned. "What is that?"

"They told us they couldn't bring the body as proof, but they saw that this boy had that underneath his shirt. So they brought that to prove that they really had an encounter with the boy. I had it looked at, the people who have encountered him all say that he had that on so we gave the Bog Burglars the boy's bounty."

"This is good news and now all that's left is to get rid of the Dragon Riders." She said darkly while smiling. "Tell me what the bad news is. This is a day of celebration."

"Once we gave the Bog Burglars the boy's bounty, we were going to assign them to their next mission, but the next day, their entire island was deserted. The Bog Burglars are gone."

"What do you mean their go—" she stops mid-sentence before looking at the man in anger. She pulled out a knife. "THOSE TRAITORS!"

The man looked scared and tried to back away. "Wait, my Queen, I'm just a messenger!"

She threw the knife between the man's legs and marched toward him. "Yes, you are a messenger, so I need you to send someone a message."

"What kind of message? And who am I sending it to?" the man asked, concerned and confused.

"Find Grimmel the Grisly and tell him we need his help to find a dragon." The female Warlord turned towards the other Warlords and said, "My comrades I think it's about time for us to meet our special friend in Afri. He's of royal lineage so he can pull some strings for us to get in and meet him, but grab your robes. We'll be defenseless, and if we're caught will be killed on sight. But the reward will be worth it, knowledge is the best poison, after all."

She turned towards the man who was still on the ground, shaking like a frightened child, "What are you still doing here? Get going!"

The man scrambled away towards the docks.

"The journey should be a week and a few days. He knows we're coming. Let's set sail, my comrades," she commanded.

The other two Warlords prepared themselves for the journey and made their way down to the docks, boarding their flagship and heading towards Afri, Ronde's Home.

_**-Author's note-**_

_**Grimmel is not making an appearance in this book, that was just a way for my story to connect with How to Train Your Dragon the Hidden World.**_

_**I believe there are more than 9 chapters left or less than 15 but we are near the end of the story. When that happens I'll explain what's going on with the prequel in the final chapter of this story but for now, I'm out, be safe.**_

_**Please if you live in the US or anywhere that has this virus please be safe keep your hands washed during this time. This virus absolutely turns this nation upside down. The media is overreacting to this in some portion but this is a serious matter. My school has shut down and now we're doing online classes. I'm having a hard time finding an internship for graphic design or at least one that pays but I have to start from somewhere. Just please be safe.**_


	29. Chapter 23 The Decision

_**I wanted to give a huge thank you to **__**Fantasia Komix**_ _**for handling this huge chapter and enhancing the scenes and emotions within this part of the story. I don't this chapter would have anywhere near as good if it wasn't for your help.**_

_**Also there are conversation between Ronde and his partner Thunder.**_

_**Humans speak, "Like this."**_

_**Dragon's speak, ("Like this")**_

_**Only Ronde can understand what the dragons are saying.**_

_**I want to say thank you for your patience. I have just been busy for the past 2 weeks trying to get everything organized in my life and trying to find a job in graphic design. It's been a little difficult but I found a few gigs and side jobs but they won't help my portfolio but I'm getting paid so I guess that's what matters. This is no guarantee but I will try to post two chapters next month or at the very least one because chapter 24 is complete and being worked on right now I'm still in the beginning stages of chapter 25 which I hope is short less or around 9000 words.**_

_**This chapter is over 19,000 words long not including this part or the author note at the bottom. But just for future reference this is your decision as the reader if you want me to if the chapter goes above 20,000 words I can split it up into two parts but that is up to you.**_

_**Please enjoy the chapter.**_

* * *

Ronde

After showing Thunder around Berk, I wondered where the other Dragon Riders were. I did see the twins earlier, but...rage didn't even begin to describe how I felt when I saw them. I still can't believe they tricked me into eating dragon nip. But I'll find a way to get them back, just not today. As Thunder and I went by the village, we were able to see people and dragons walking around. I still can't believe that this tiny village can hold this many dragons and people in the same place.

Suddenly Thunder nudged me to get my attention. I almost fell down as a result, but she growls, ("I've seen enough, I'm not comfortable being around all these Two-Legs.")

These dragons are always calling humans either Scaleless or Two-Legs for some reason. I never ask why, they call it as they see it. But she's not used to being around others. From what I've learned throughout my journey Skrills don't travel in packs. She had probably been alone for years, but I needed to know something. "Yeah, I agree, let's get something to eat. Follow me."

She followed me. I placed my hand on her snout. "Hey, do you mind if I ask you a question?"

She looked over at me with a very weird expression as if she didn't want to. ("You may.")

"I've never seen your kind of Kin before, but I've seen images and pictures of your Kin and all of them have spikes on their back and tails. You don't. Were you in a battle? Or were you like this before?"

She looked almost sad. ("When I hatched, my spikes never formed. My Sire and Dam were worried for me at first, but I proved that I was just as fully capable of doing what my kind has done for many cycles. It was difficult to fly, but I quickly adapted. My light was fine, but I have not seen my kind other than my siblings and my Sire and Dam in over twenty cycles.")

So I was right. It was a mutation, or maybe she is the first in her generation to evolve or adapt. Maybe there's some advantage from having smoother scales and not forming spikes for a Skrill. But she still looked sad, so I rubbed her cheek and said, "I'm sorry to hear that, but why do you want a mate that is not one of your kind?"

She showed a faint smile and growled, ("Once during my life flight, I discovered that different types of kin mated and had hatchlings that were both neither of the two and the same as the two. I thought that maybe if I can find the right kin, I could have hatchlings.")

Does she mean that two types of dragons can make a hybrid? Is that even possible? But maybe it's a rare phenomenon. Dragons usually would try to be with their own species, but maybe if they can't find one of their kind, they could find another species of dragons. It might be possible.

Then she looked at me weirdly and asked, ("Are you one of those that are mixed? Were your Sire and Dam a Two-Leg and a Kin?")

"No!" I yelled

She sighed in relief. ("Good. This wouldn't be very warm, but how can you talk to me with words but not with them too?")

"I can connect our minds when I make contact with you. That's why you can understand the words that are coming out of my mouth."

("How is that impossible for a Two-Leg?") She asked.

"Well I'm not only a 'Two Leg.' I am a Kin, or I can change into one."

("Show me.") She demanded.

I looked around the area and my eyes immediately locked on the people and Dragons walking around us. "I can't, not right now with all these people around. Maybe later, but let's just focus on the food, I should have enough currency for both of us."

Suddenly Thunder pounced on me. I stumbled back and fell towards the ground as she began sniffing me. I tried to push her off of me. "Hey, what are you doing?"

She continued sniffing me then got off of me. ("You do smell more like a kin then you do a Two-Leg. That's hard to believe but you are a kin. A funny looking one that hides in a nest full of Two-Legs and Otherkin, but you are one of us.")

'She said I smell more like a dragon then I do human? I wonder if what I predicted would happen to me a lot sooner. Will I live like a dragon for the rest of my life?...No. Before that I need to see Kindle and tell her how I feel, then I need to see my home. I'm still not ready for that just yet. I still need more time before I can see my mother again.'

I got up and said to Thunder, "Come. Let's get some food in the Great Hall."

She tilted her head. ("Great Hall? Why is it great?")

I shrugged. "I don't know and I didn't want to ask everyone that question. Compared to my village, this place is tiny so what they consider to be great is small to me."

("Are there Kin in there as well?")

"Yes, I believe so."

("Kin and Two-Legs in the same nest. This is very wrong and twisted, but it's good to see no fighting amongst them.")

'This place is very peaceful compared to other places I've been to. Almost like the island with my adopted parents.' "It is very good and ("warm.")

Thunder looked back at me confusedly. I noticed her staring at me out of the corner of my eye as we got close to the Great Hall. "What?"

("You said warm like a Kin.")

I didn't even realize. I was just thinking about my adopted mother at that moment so it slipped out as a growl. "Sorry."

("Why are you sorry? Don't be sad because you sound like a Kin. You are one of us again, even though you're still funny looking.")

We were halfway up the stairs. "Please. By human standards, I'm handsome and adorable."

She tilted her head. ("Hue-man? That what they call themselves? Well, to a female Kin, we wouldn't want to mate with something so small and funny looking,") She teased.

"Well, it's a good thing I'm not trying to impress a female dragon now, isn't it?" I bantered.

She looked almost excited. ("You have a mate? Let me see her so I can make a comparison between a Kin's relationship and a Two-Leg's.")

"Sorry to disappoint you, but the person I like is not on this island." I looked at the ground and said, "Actually I haven't...no I couldn't tell her how I feel when I'm next to her. She makes me feel very happy when I'm around her or when I'm just thinking about what we did together."

("It sounds like you have a good idea of your potential mate, but if you don't claim her as your own, then the other males will get to her.")

"I can't claim her. It doesn't work like that...usually. I was a Kin and she was human and she knew I was very nice to her, but the males on her island make females into slaves and workers. They didn't have any choice in the matter, but when I met her I gave her something that not even the other boys and men can give her: I gave her happiness and a feeling of freedom. I know she wouldn't give her life to any of those men. She just has too much pride for that and would give them a hard time on purpose."

("My partner, I can say this: If what you said is true, then the males on her island can force her into becoming their mate. Certain Kin do force themselves onto others without any...preparation. I don't know how Two-Legs become a pair, but it might be too late for you and her to become mates.")

I stopped walking, shocked by what Thunder just said. But Kindle would never marry them, she told me that.

Then I remembered what she said.

[_"These men are brutes, all they care about is persevering our clan. They force us women to marry them and have kids with them. They say it's for the good of our clan so we could be on top of the world again, but that was a very long time ago. Our ancestors let our clan come close to extinction because of war, conflicts, and diseases."_

_She looked into my eyes and said, "Even if I am forced to marry someone, I will never have children with them. They don't care about me, so why should I do the same? They call this preservation for our clan, but it is just a way for women to be oppressed."_

_I leaned close to her and nudged her. I could just sense it, she was about to start crying. I purred and poked her with my snout. She laughed because I guess I tickled her and she pushed my head back. We just looked at each other, then I noticed she had a weird expression on her face, but she also looked somewhat tired._

_Then she looked at me and said, "You know, I'm glad we didn't kill each other. I'm happy to be around you. But now that I think about it because I said it out loud, it's a good thing that I didn't kill you because even if I brought your head to my clan, nothing would have changed for the other women. The men would probably have made me marry someone faster. I wish that I could meet someone that I can be with for the rest of my life, but that's impossible unless I sneak off this island. I have nowhere else to go."_

_I don't know if it was instinct or something else, but before I knew it, I licked her across her cheek. I believe I was more surprised than her, but I didn't fight this feeling and I wasn't embarrassed. 'We grew to be friends over the past week and you make me happy to be around someone again. I know that you can't understand my words, but I want you to understand my actions. I don't know if I can become human again, but even if I can't, one day I'll take you off this island to a place where you can be happy. You deserve it.'_

_She held her cheek. She wasn't mad or happy; it was just something like a spark. She stared into my eyes and I did the same. She and I didn't say anything, but she lay down on me and I wrapped my body around her. She looked tired, so I covered her with my wing. She smiled and reached out her hand to rub my face._

_She smiled as she closed her eyes and told me, "You are the nicest thing I've ever met...if only...you were a..."_

_She fell asleep on me. She looked so beautiful and peaceful. I promise I'll find a way to make you happy, Kindle, that I swear._]

'I believe she is still okay. I probably have another year before she's forced to marry, but I know she will reject them. So maybe I'll see her before I go back home.' I told Thunder, "I believe I still have a chance, but my time is limited. You know what, how about next week we go to her island and rescue her. She's very stubborn and very true to her beliefs."

("If it gives me a chance to find my mate, then yes, I shall accompany you.")

I smiled. "Thank you. Just for that, I'll buy you some extra food. What kind of food would you like?"

She stopped walking as she thought of something. ("If the Two-Legs have the long snake fish, I would like that.")

'Long snake fish? What is she...oh wait, an eel? I thought that the Typhoomerang was the only dragon that could eat eels...but I guess it would make sense. The electric properties within eels probably do something for them, or maybe it's the taste that they enjoy.' I rubbed her snout and said, "I believe I know what you're talking about, but they may not have one that is alive. Is that okay with you?"

("Yes, it is fine.")

We reached the Great Hall and I held the door open for her. She looked around at the other people there. There were only a few dragons around when I noticed Toothless standing next to Hiccup. It seemed he was talking to someone, but I couldn't see them because Toothless was blocking the view from where I was. 'I guess once I feed Thunder, I'll go see him and tell him what I'm going to do next week.'

I went to the counter and bought me and Thunder some food with the remaining money that I had. She was lucky, for they did have live eels in a barrel. Some Vikings still ate smoked eel, which I found disgusting. But the man gave me half a barrel with fish and eels for Thunder and some smoked fish and meat for me. I looked around for a table and found one near the entrance with enough room for both of us. I carried the barrel with my food on the top of the lid to the table and placed it on the floor before transfering my food onto the table. I didn't want to knock over the barrel and make her eat on the ground. I wanted her to have a choice how she wanted to eat.

She went towards the barrel and sniffed it and looked inside. To my surprise, she used the talons on her wings to clutch the interior of the container and pour the contents into her mouth.

"Huh, clever girl," I said while preparing to eat my food.

But before I took a bite, I saw Astrid and Stormfly walk from the entrance to where Hiccup was sitting. She was whispering to Hiccup. I took a bite out of my food and watched the two talk quietly. What was going on? After the conversation ceased, she left Hiccup's side and walked back towards the entrance. Before she stepped through the door, Stormfly noticed me and walked toward our table.

I was both relieved and angry at myself. I was relieved that she didn't tackle me and pin me to the ground. But I knew the reason why was because of what I said to her while I was on Dragon Nip. I would be uncomfortable too.

Astrid noticed that her dragon had left her side and turned to see me, her eyes wide. "Ro-" she placed her hand over her mouth before she finished my name.

She removed her hand and walked towards me. She took a second to look across the table and stepped back after noticing Thunder. "Is that a Skrill? How-no, _why_ do you have a Skrill?"

"Her name is Thunder," I said with my mouth full. "Hiccup and I were searching for a dragon this morning and I followed her scent."

"How did you even have time to train it?" She shook her head and waved her hands. "You know what, don't answer that right now, I was looking for you."

"Why? Do you need me to do something?" I asked.

She had a weird expression on her face as she told me, "No. I need you not to get upset, but I think you're ready. There is someone in our village that wants to see you."

I was a little bit confused about why she said that and the fact that she was acting weird. "I don't know why I would be upset if someone from the village wanted to see me." I said while getting up from the table. "Let me guess, it's the people that Hiccup was talking to, right? I'll see what they want. Come on, Thunder."

She finished the last of her eels and joined my side, but Astrid tried to stop me. "Wait, I need to tell you who they are before you-"

"It's fine, Astrid. It must be important if they're seeking my presence."

I walked over to Hiccup's table and saw him holding a conversation with two other people. I wasn't focusing on them at the moment because I was trying to get Hiccup's attention. "Hey, Hiccup."

He turned around so fast and looked at me with an almost scared expression. I hesitated as I looked up towards the other at the table. "Are these the people who are...looking...for..."

My sentence died on my tongue as I looked at the other people at the table. I just couldn't believe it, they were here. Of all the places in the world that they could have been, they were here talking to Hiccup. I didn't know what to do. I just stood there, frozen as though I were an antelope fixed with the hungry gaze of a dragon.

The room fell silent.

Both of them looked at me. The one on the right, my mentor, stared at me confusedly as if he didn't recognize me but knew that I didn't belong here.

The other had her hand over her mouth, gasping because of how I looked, but she recognized me. She stood up and slowly walked towards me until she was in front of me.

I couldn't move as she placed her hand around my chin, slowly turning it as if she was seeing if I was real. She placed her other hand on the shirt around the neck of my collar and slowly pulled it down to see all my scars on my neck and chest that she and her mother had healed. My hands were limp against my sides. I couldn't even flicker my fingers.

My mother broke the silence with a whimper, crying as her hand clutched at my collar. "It really is you. You're not a dragon anymore...Ronde, my son!" She yelled and hugged me tightly. Tears soaked the fabric when she stopped hugging me and held onto my shoulder.

My mentor muttered, "It can't be...this is impossible. That can't be him."

My mother stared at me with tears in her eyes, her eyes examining me. "You grew up without me, but you turned out so fine and you're taller than me! But what happened to your hair? Why is it so short, and why are you wearing this ridiculous outfit! And why are you here in this tiny village halfway across the world!" She yelled at me with fierce tears dripping down her cheek, but then her eyes softened and she hugged me again. "No, it doesn't matter, you're alive and well. That's all that matters to me."

As she hugged me, my arms tried to rise to hug her back, but I still wasn't ready for any of this. I instead gently pushed her off of me and backed away from her.

She looked surprised and hurt. She took one step forward. "Ro-Ronde?" She said my name with so much pain in her voice I almost shed a tear.

I didn't even look at her. I couldn't help but remember what I did before I left my home, why I fled. I asked in a low tone, "What are you doing here?"

I heard her slightly gasp. She said, "I knew that the purple dragon had something to do with you, so...Skild and I sailed for a week and a half to see if there was a chance to see you, my son."

I backed away from her, the flashbacks getting more and more vivid. I saw myself when I lost control of myself and cut my father's leg, her watching me do so with horror in her eyes. And when I bit that kid and slashed his throat, blood spraying out of his neck while he held the wound and gaped at the blood on my claws. "No, no, I'm not your son...I'm n-not the little boy you raised anymore."

She looked confused. "What are you talking about? You are my son and I came to take you home."

That thought scared me. "H-Home? No-I can't-no, that is not my home, I'm not ready to go back."

My mother took a few more steps towards me. "Ronde, are you okay? You are not making any sense. Why don't you want to come home with me? To see your family?"

I took a few more steps back until I bumped into something. I spun around and wildly stared at Thunder, whose eyes were pained as she fixed herself between me and the door.

("You need to calm down. We all can feel your pain and emotions. Just calm down and talk.")

I tried to move around her but she blocked my path. ("Look, I don't know you that well because we just met, but I can tell that you need to stay here. Your emotions are making all of us worried.")

I looked around to see that the other dragons were looking in our general direction. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed my mentor talking to my mother out of the corner of my eye. I heard him whisper to her, "He does look like Ronde, so just in case it is him, go slowly. We don't know what he's been through while he was gone. It could be a sign of trauma."

My mother then looked at me, muttering the word 'trauma' over and over again. Until her eyes widened and she looked at me with the same pity she gave me when I was a dragon. "It's your father, isn't it? When you were that purple dragon, you were scared when he threatened you."

The last words in that sentence angered me. "Threatened me!? He tried to kill me! And before he could, my body just reacted! I didn't want to hurt him, but I couldn't recognize him while I was in that state! I could have killed him! Just like..."

I couldn't say it, not in front of everyone.

My mother then said, "Ronde...he wasn't trying to kill you, he was trying to control and tame you."

I turned to look at her. "What!? He raised his sword to strike me down!? You were there...I... called for you to help me."

Her moist eyes told me that she was saddened by what I just said. I didn't mean to make her feel bad, but I couldn't hold back my emotions. I thought that these feelings were gone when I told everyone my story, but they were still there.

She wiped away a tear and said, "I know. I'm sorry that I didn't do more at that moment. I just didn't know that it was you. But that-not an excuse. I'm sorry, Ronde." She moved forward again but stopped herself. "Ronde, I did tell you the method that your father used to control a dragon, but you never saw it for yourself. He was going to use your fear to control you and make you loyal to him."

He wasn't trying to kill me. Did that mean my reaction was unnecessary? All this time, I thought he was going to kill me, but he was just trying to use me. But didn't that mean I ran away for nothing? All those days suffering and the pain I experienced, all the death I've seen...was for nothing?! He was the main reason why I didn't want to go back home and it was for nothing?!

"Ronde?" My mother asked, her voice soft with concern.

"So it's my fault that I went through all this pain and saw death in my travels across the world? All because I misread a situation?!" I yelled.

"What? No, you were confused, you didn't know what he was going to do. I understand why you reacted, you didn't know what was going on. You just wanted to live."

I glared at her so fiercely she backed away from me out of fear. "I hurt him. I cut his leg and tackled him to the floor. I had the urge to kill him, but by some miracle, I didn't...but I hurt those kids."

_'No, don't say it, they'll think of you as a monster.'_

I continued, "As I was running away, some kids caught me. They were pulling my wings and tail, punching me and kicking me. Before I even knew it, I pounced on one of them. He tried to get me off of him, but all I was focusing on was his neck."

_'No, please...someone, please stop me, I don't want to say this out loud.'_

"I bit down and felt bone, I slashed the side of his neck. I let go when I felt his grip get weaker, but he was trying to keep his hands on the wound. He fell and the other kids tried to help him. I killed that kid...because...I was scared and angry."

I heard the others around me gasped. But my mother had a very small smile.

She walked closer towards me and rubbed my face. "I remember the days after you left as clear as yesterday. My mother told me you were probably responsible for that incident." I looked down in shame, but she got on her knees to look up at my crying face. "But Ronde, you didn't kill anyone. Those kids were injured, but they are alive."

I looked at her. "What? They're alive? How?"

"The one that you describe did lose a lot of blood. You missed an artery on his neck, but a few more centimeters and, well...but he's fine, he works with Skild now."

Years of anxiety left me with those few words. I wanted to cry from happiness, but I just looked up at the ceiling and sighed. "Thank god..."

My mother placed her hands firmly on my shoulders and gave me a serious look. "Ronde, I'm taking you home."

I looked away from her and brushed off her hand. "I'm not going back."

"Ronde, what are you talking about? You are coming home. You need to."

"I'm not going," I said more seriously.

My mother stood up, betrayal fighting with anger for dominance in her voice as she demanded, "Why? Why don't you want to come back? Did I do something wrong?" Then she looked down at the ground. "Actually, I know it was me. I failed as a parent and couldn't protect you. But please, just let me make it up to you. I'll give you anything you need, just please come home."

I couldn't take it, she was beating herself up about this, and...she believed it was her fault. I turned around to look at the exit and told her, "It's not...You're not the reason why I don't want to go back home. You are the reason why I miss Afri, but it wasn't you who failed as a parent."

She was confused for a moment until she got the message. "Woede, your father, is that the reason?"

I didn't respond.

"Ronde, your father does miss you."

The comment enraged me. "He missed me? Yeah, right, he misses his disappointment of a son? Beating me down, cutting me with weapons and talking down to me, lowering my confidence? Yeah, I'm pretty sure he misses all the _fun _times we spend together. If he misses me, it's because he thought that the time he spent torturing me was a waste because he thinks I'm **dead**. Unless you and grandma told him about my condition." I didn't turn around, didn't want to see her face.

She was silent.

"Yeah, your silence says a lot about him," I said. I looked back at her over my shoulder despite myself.

She fingered the ring on her hand as she said to me, "During me and your father's wedding, I made a vow to not hold secrets. I heard that they can destroy relationships. But I didn't tell him about you, even your grandmother hasn't. Ronde, I know you don't believe me, but he does miss you."

I got even angrier, steam now quietly billowing up towards the high ceiling. "Okay, then tell me this: the day you thought I died, what did he do? No, actually, I know you held a funeral or memorial for me; did he even cry or have a few words to say about me?"

She was silent again. I grit my teeth at how she was nervous about answering me, but she hesitated as she said, "Ronde...you know your father. All the crying, all those emotions he feels, he doesn't show it. But it all happens on the insi-"

"CUT THE CRAP!" I roared. Everyone around me took a few steps back, even the dragons. My mother backed away from me until she was once again standing next to my mentor.

"Stop making excuses for him! He doesn't care about me! He never did! All he did was abuse me! He never let up or gave me a break, he was using me to further his own goals! Compared to my sister, they were let off easy: the worst they got from him was a broken nail! I had my bones cracked, my muscles torn, these scars scattered all over my body! You don't have _any_ **right** to tell me to go back home just to experience that all over again!"

I breathed heavily, trying to calm down. I didn't know why I was yelling at her of all people. She didn't deserve that, all she wanted was her son back. She didn't understand that that boy she raised was not me, not anymore. I had grown up, seen things that most people wouldn't understand. I'd grown up away from those experiences, but it still stood that the foundation of it all began at home, and I didn't want to experience what I'd gone through again.

My mother and everyone else looked horrified. The room was filled with steam, my skin tinged red from my anger at the conversation. I didn't want to go home now, I just needed time to mentally prepare myself. I wasn't ready for this today. To see them ask me to return home.

Before anyone could react, I jumped over Thunder and ran back through the entrance. I ran down the hill away from the great hall and continued to run until I was in the forest. I took off my clothes and changed, then balled up my clothes and carried them in my taloned fists as I flew to somewhere on this island where no one could find me.

Astrid

I didn't think it would go this badly. I thought he was ready to see them. I didn't expect him to yell at his own mother like that, but at the same time, it seemed like he wasn't yelling at her, he was just trying to get something out.

The Skrill quickly ran after him once he bolted.

His mother broke down crying beside her guard. "It's my fault. I should have done more then, but I didn't know it was him."

"I must ask, if you don't mind, why didn't you stop his father from training him even though you knew it was affecting him?" I asked, knowing that this was probably a bad time to ask, but I needed to know.

She looked at me. "Because in the beginning, he wanted to train with his father, to spend time with him. When he realized how his father handled training, he quickly wanted to leave, but my husband saw the potential within him, so he didn't let him go. I saw my son as a prodigy in everything he did and attributed it to the training he received. But my husband did go too far with him. Why I didn't stop him, you wonder. It was because his father demanded he train with him. I couldn't stop him, all I could do was persuade him to give him a break so that either my mother and I would heal him or Skild would train and give him physical therapy."

I turned to the man next to her and remembered that Ronde said his mentor would give him physical therapy, that would mean... "Wait, you're his mentor? He told us about you."

His eyes widened and he looked at the queen. "He told you about me? That means that this is really Ronde. You were right to come here, Neurie, but him being a dragon is still ridiculous." He looked at me appraisingly. "Yes, I was his mentor, I taught him the basics of combat and fighting. But right now, we should find him."

Hiccup finally interjected. "I think his new dragon will handle that for us, but I think it's best to leave him alone for now."

The queen looked surprised. "That Skrill is his dragon?" Then I heard her whisper something. "Did he try to replace his dragon Dapper? There so much he's missed and doesn't know."

Ronde's mentor then announced, "Look, I appreciate you all for taking care of my student, my queen's son, but we must take him back. The rest of the family needs to know that he's alive, no, the entire nation needs to know."

I almost said something, but then the queen hit him with her elbow on his stomach and said, "I told you that when you're around me, you can call me by my name. I know it's a habit to show respect, but we're still friends, Skild."

He shielded his stomach painfully and mumbled, "Yes, my que- I mean Neurie."

She apologetically smiled at us. "As he said, I thank you all for taking care of my son. If I'm still correct, he could be a handful sometimes, but he's very kind and tries to put others first. I know you heard stories about his father through his perspective, but believe it or not, those two do act alike. So I know this: he won't come with us unless it's his decision, so we could either attempt to persuade him to come with us or wait. We cannot force him to come, for it will be his choice by the end of the day. If I know my son, he shouldn't be angry in the morning."

Hiccup then spoke up. "Do you think he will talk to you tomorrow?"

She nodded. "Yes, although he probably doesn't want to discuss coming home."

Hiccup smiled wryly. "Okay, I think I know a way for you two to talk. Tomorrow is our dragon racing competition, if you can talk to him then."

Her brow rose with intrigue. "This village has a competition with dragons? That actually sounds very interesting. Okay, but how will we get him there?"

I spoke up. "I could try to talk to him."

Suddenly Ronde's mentor interjected. "No, I believe I can handle that. You all saw how quickly he got angry, those emotions are from something else. So I know how to deal with his mood. I just need to know where he stays at and an open place so I can have a proper way to shed light on why he's so angry."

"Are you sure?" I asked.

He nodded. "There are a few ways to relieve a person of their stress and bottled up emotions other than just talking about their problems. Some people need to vent, others just need something to hit."

Hiccup nodded at him and said, "I can show you where he lives. It's a little walk, not that far from here, but why do you want to know where he's staying? I doubt he's even there."

"He'd be there sometime tomorrow if I know him, so I'll just wake him up in the morning. Meanwhile, you and your other colleagues shall prepare yourselves for this _competition_ and save Ronde and his mother a good seat."

"I think I know what you're doing now, but for it to work, you have to convince him to come," Hiccup said.

"Yes, I know this, Chief of Berk. It will not be easy, it all depends on if he opens up. But I'll explain more of this plan once we see where he lives. After that, Neurrie and I will sleep in our ship and I'll get Ronde in the morning."

"Ok, I'll show you where he lives. Follow me."

...Several hours later…

Ronde

I was on top of the mountain on Berk. Even from this height, I could see everything around the village and the ocean. My claws worried a little at my clothes as I thought about my situation. I just wanted to be alone right now. This is the last place they could find me. This feeling, these deep feelings, why did they surface when I saw them? It's not their fault, so why did I yell at them? Why did I yell at my mother the way I did? I was never mad at her, I understood why she didn't know it was me as that dragon, but I guess I still had some resentment towards her. I called out to her to help me, but she didn't do anything to stop my father.

And now that I knew that everything I'd ever been through was because I misread a situation, I felt like it was all for nothing. I blamed my dad for setting everything to motion, yet it was all because I lost myself. I was a disappointment, just like my father said.

Suddenly, something landed behind me. I slightly turned around to see who it was. I thought it was Hiccup or Astrid, but instead it was Thunder.

She glared at me, snarling at me while electricity prickled all over her body. ("You! Where is my Kin partner? I smell him all over you! What have you done to him!?") She growls viciously.

She didn't recognize me, just like my mother. I turned to look at the view again and growled softly to her, ("You would think that the smell would be enough to tell you where he's at.")

She snarled again, this time walking closer to me. ("Stop playing games! Where is my Two-Leg Kin partner!? Did you harm him!? That's the only way that his scent could be on you!")

This time I spoke with both my human voice and mind. "Or I could be him."

She slightly backs away, confused. I continued, sadly saying, "As I told you before, I can change into a Kin, Thunder."

("You even sound like him-it really is you, but what kind of Kin are you?") She walked closer until she was at my side. ("Actually, that doesn't matter right now, I'm here because you need me and I want to know why you are upset.")

("I feel like everything I've been through was worthless because I misread my father's intentions.")

She tilted her head and asked, ("'Fah-thur'? What is that?)

("I mean my Sire.") I then told her my story, just like I did with the Dragon Riders. I told her how I felt about everything I did and had been through. I didn't feel better after explaining it to her.

("I see. You have been through a lot. For a Two-Leg hatchling to be turned into a Kin must have been frightening, especially if your own Sire tried to kill you. I wouldn't know what to do if I was to be turned into a Two-Leg. But it seems that you're not angry at your Dam but still have anger towards your Sire. I think you have more anger towards something else.")

I was completely confused. ("What are you talking about? Yes, I'm angry about what my father did to me and what I've been through, but more anger?")

("I don't know what it was, but I felt something when you were yelling at your Dam. You still have stored emotions that you kept over the years, yet you never express yourself or truly tried to let it out...at least, that's what I think.")

("But I just told you and the others about my past. I thought that it would help me get over everything,") I growled.

("It probably helped in some regards, but while you were telling me your story, you never told me how you felt about those situations. Yes, you were scared, but I think you didn't truly explain how it affected you.")

I was at a loss for words. Was it true? That was why I was still worried, scared, and angry when I saw them? I thought that I would be ready to see them if I left Berk within two months, but I probably would have reacted the same way.

Thunder warbled again. ("My partner, you need to find another way to express yourself to relieve your feelings towards your family. Do you want to know how I deal with stress?")

I gave her a blank stare. ("No, but I think you're going to tell me anyway.")

She grinned as she growled, ("I'd either roar at the top of a mountain on an island as loud as I could, or maybe torture a small Two-Leg nest. Nothing major, maybe I'd use my light just to scare them. I like to see their two little legs running away in fear; it's funny and makes me happy.")

I was shocked in every sense of the word that she used to do that. ("You, my partner, are one twisted Kin, but thank you for telling me that. Why are you so knowledgeable about this topic?")

("Being alone for a long time helps you understand yourself better. You learn how to deal with things by testing out how your emotions react when you do things. But I believe that if you want to feel better, then you should go back to your Dam and back home. I have noticed that Two-Legs always stay together within their nest.")

I rolled my eyes. ("Great, I just had to find the most observant Dragon in this archipelago, my luck is _great _today.")

Then she got closer and started rubbing me with her head very affectionately. ("Yes, you did, I hope that I helped you feel better, even if it was just a little.")

The way she was rubbing against me gave me a few chills. It almost reminded me of the Sand Wrath I saved and the other female dragon in the Bewilderbeast nest, so I nervously asked, ("Thunder, I don't want to be rude or anything, but I hope you're not thinking of mating with me, are you?")

She suddenly backed away, spinned around, and slapped me with her tail hard across my face. ("No, I would never mate with a Two-Leg, even if you are a Kin. That is very twisted. I was trying to comfort you. Do all males think that if a female is trying to comfort them that the female is trying to mate with them?")

I was holding my cheek to the ground while saying, ("I know the right answer is no, some males don't think like that, but there are certain situations where...instincts and urges can take over. Look, I'm sorry for assuming, but I had my share of females trying to do the deed with me.")

("Well I don't. I like you as if you were one of my nestmates. But we don't know each other, plus you already told me you have a potential mate, and I want to find my own.")

I smiled as I got up. ("I see. Thanks for the talk, Thunder. I'll try to work up the nerve to talk to the others, but no promises.") I looked at the horizon. It was almost dark, the sun receding to let the moon shine in the twilight. ("Well, I need to go back to my house and sleep...") Right then I realized something and apologetically glanced at Thunder. ("I'm so sorry I forgot to show you where to sleep.")

("It's fine. While I was looking for you, I found some places and caves where I can sleep. I usually wake up early, so I'll find you again.")

I was still worried about her. ("Are you sure? You could sleep near my house.")

This time she gave me a blank expression. ("If you are talking about that wooden cave that smells like death and that poofy white fur Four-Legs, no. That was one of the first places I found your scent. I'll see you during the early Sun-Cycle.")

She flew off in the distance to somewhere else on Berk. I, however, turned invisible and flew back towards my village, to my home. When I landed, I sniffed the air and discovered that everyone, including my mother and mentor, was here recently. They were looking for me, but I saw no note or anything there. 'I guess that means that they're not leaving without me.' I slowly opened my door and there was no one inside so I quickly looked around and changed back, it was painful but I endured it. But once it was finished I put my pants back on and I went back inside my house.

I lay down on my mattress but before I went to sleep I felt an odd sensation around my body like some sort of heat. I didn't feel like waking up all sweaty so I took off my pants and just wrapped my cover around my body and tried to fall asleep.

_It was in the morning, I just finished eating. I wondered where everyone else was. I didn't see anyone, not even the dragon._

_I wandered around the village, searching for anyone. I looked through the Great Hall, Hiccup's home, and the middle of the village, yet there was no one here. "Is the village deserted? That can't be right."_

_Suddenly, I saw two figures walking away in the distance. I called out to get their attention, but they either ignored me or they didn't hear me because they continued to walk ahead. "Hey, wait!" I yelled while running after them._

_When I finally caught up to them, I realized it was my mother, my mentor next to her. I stopped running and peeked around the closet house I was next to. They weren't having a conversation, they just kept walking._

_And that when I realized that they were heading towards the docks. They were about to leave without even saying goodbye to me? Did I hurt them that much that they didn't even want to talk to me before they left?_

_I ran after them. "Wait!"_

_They both turned around to face me. I said, "Look, I understand I shouldn't have gone that far, but you could at least say goodbye or something. I'm still your son."_

_What happened next shocked me. My mother quivered with fear and hid behind my mentor. He pulled out his sword and held it between us._

_I took a few steps back from him and said, ("Mentor? Mother? Why are you...") I looked down at myself. I was covered in purple scales, I was the Chimera Dragon._

_"Stand back, beast!" he ordered._

_I tried to speak, but all that came out were grunts and growls. ("Wait to please it me Ronde.") I looked up and saw my mother giving me a pitying look. But I tried to speak normally so that she could understand me, "Mootherrr...issssss...mheeee...Roondeeee." I was trying to speak but it was difficult again, like when I was first practicing to talk._

_My mother gave me a strange look but my mentor got closer to me until he was in front of me with his sword close to my neck. "BEAST, I SHALL KILL YOU IF YOU SPIT ANOTHER LIE!" he screamed at me._

_I kept backing away from him, but I went back into a house with nowhere to go. 'Why are they acting like this? Why does he want to kill me? What did I do wrong?'_

_Then my mother spoke, "You are not my son, you are just some beast, no you're a monster. Look at the blood on your hands. My son would never spill anyone's blood, beast."_

_What she said broke something in me, I looked down at my claws and saw the blood of all those I have hurt during the past 7 years. My father, those kids, my adopted father, the dragons I've met and the Bog Burglars when I went on a rampage._

_She spoke again, "My son is dead, you are not him. YOU'RE A DRAGON WHO TOOK MY SON AWAY! I COULD NEVER LOVE A DEMON!"_

_I then roared, "I AM YOUR SON I DIDN'T WANT TO DIE BY THE HANDS OF MY FATHER!"_

_then she looked saddened, "Then why didn't you come back? For 7 years I wanted to see my son but you decided not to come back to see us, to see them, to see me. That was your choice!"_

_"I need time, I just didn't know what you would have done to me if I had returned. I hurt father and you saw me do it. I'm sorry mom."_

_She took a few steps away from me and looked down towards my feet, "I'm not your mother demon, my son would have come back and not hurt others around him. Just like you did to Skild you monster!"_

_I looked down and saw my mentor between my claws as a bloody mess, he was barely breathing. His eyes carried so much hatred in them. I couldn't believe what was happening. Did I lose myself again!? And my mentor was dying because of me!?_

_He tried to reach out towards me and with his final breath, he said, "__**Die**__...you...__**demon**__..your nothing...but...a...__**monster**__..." his arm fell to the ground, his eyes became blurry and less focused. My mentor just died in my claws._

_"No."_

_Please._

_No_

_This can't be real._

...Ronde?...

_No please I didn't mean for this to happen._

_My mother spoke, "All you do is hurt the people around you. You say your father didn't care about you but that doesn't give you the excuse to abandon us!"_

...Ronde...get...up...

_Something happened and I could feel something slowly slipping. I was getting sad and then angry._

And then something hit me.

...Bam!...

I was just woken up from a nightmare. I heard and felt my heart pumping fast in my chest. But something was off, no, something hit me on top of my head while I was sleeping.

I looked over to see a wooden plank beside my head. it was broken. 'What the? Why is it broken? And why can't I move much?' I looked around the house and saw big holes and claw markings on the floor and the walls. Then I felt my toes touching the grass outside. My wings went through the ceiling and broke some parts of it. I transformed while I was sleeping again and destroyed some parts of the house in the process.

"Crap, I don't think I can fix this today, darn my nightmares."

Knock...Knock...

Someone was knocking on my door. That someone said, "Is it possible for you to come out? Please."

I recognized that voice, it was my mentor. I was both relieved and scared because of my dream, but I didn't need him to see me like this! "Please wait a moment," I tried to say as calmly as possible. But I think I heard him slightly gasped.

I unwedged my foot from the hole and changed back. Once I finished, I tried to find my clothes. They were underneath some of the rubble. I quickly put them on, ran towards the door, and opened it.

My mentor looked surprised and just stared at me.

After a few moments, I couldn't take it anymore because he was staring at me, so I said, "Why are you staring at me like that?"

He then said, "At first I didn't believe it was you, but now that I'm this close I can see it now, you look just like your father when he was your age."

I avoided his gaze. "If one more person compares me with someone I'm not, I am going to lose what little sense of reason I have left."

My mentor smiled sadly. "I'm sorry, Ronde," he said while looking around my house. "Your mother wasn't so pleased to find out you lived here in a place like this, and I thought the same. You know your room is bigger than this house back home."

"If that's your way to persuade me to go back home, you're sadly mistaken, master."

He put his hands on his hips and chuckled to himself. "Master, I haven't been called that in a while, but that wasn't my way to persuade you." he looked around again. "Yeah, even my house is bigger than this and without pieces of wood on the ground."

I scratched the back of my neck in embarrassment. "Yeah, that was my fault. I was trying something new and this happened."

My mentor looked at me. "You really are my student, but even to this day you still can't lie properly." He gave me a serious face this time and said, "Ronde, I saw you change into that purple dragon while you were sleeping."

I was shocked and at a loss for words.

He spoke as he sat down on my broken bed. "It's hard to believe, but I owe your mother an apology. I assume that this is the reason why you left. I'm sorry I couldn't protect you, but why didn't you come to my place? If you told me that it was you, I would have tried to help."

I sat down on the floor next to him. "I'm sure you heard what I did to my father. I just didn't want to put you at risk and didn't know how to talk or change back and forth. After what my father did, I just didn't know what to do."

"I believe your father was looking for a dragon during those days, but it was quickly turned off when your grandmother announced that you died. But you still should have come to me, Ronde, I would have protected you and shown you to your parents."

I got slightly irritated. "Well, there's nothing we can do about it now, is there?! There were so many thoughts going through my head. I just wanted to live, is that too much to ask?"

He just looked at me and stood up. "Follow me."

That caught me off guard. "What?"

"I have a better way to discuss this so please follow me." He said while walking off.

I decided to follow him to see where he wanted to go. We walked down the hill from my house into the village. I was getting impatient and I asked him where we were going but he answered, "You'll see."

Suddenly we went around Berk into their training area. My mentor unlocks the front door and pulls the lever for the door to open. 'Why are we here of all places?' I thought to myself. This didn't make any sense, why did he want to have a conversation here?

He walked into and stood near the middle, "Ronde," he called my name to get my attention. I looked over to him and saw him pointing at a place in this place then he told me, "Stand over there."

I was confused but I didn't question him at that moment. I walked towards the place where he told me to stand, we were at least ten feet away from each other.

I don't know why but I was getting a weirdly excited but scared feeling. 'Why I'm I getting excited as if I knew what was happening?' I decided to say something, "Master, why are we here?"

Suddenly he took a stance that looked familiar but different. His hands were up, his feet were apart from each in a way, and he had a fierce look on his face. That when I realized what we were doing here and why he was in that stance, but before I had a chance to respond he said, "Ronde you are going to spar with me right now. If you don't want to get hurt put your hands up and show me what I've taught you and what you've learned."

No, I can't fight him like this. I won't be able to hold back, I put my hand out in front of me telling him to stop, "Wait I don't want to fight you, I don't know how to fight anymore."

Suddenly he lunged at me, and at that moment I had a flashback when my father did the same thing. My mentor looked like my father at that moment. Before I could think, my body moved on its own and dodged the punch. But I did a little more. I grab his wrist in an arm turn around, with his momentum and my strength I throw him over my shoulder.

But somehow he twisted himself mid-throw and landed on his feet in front of me before I reacted. Once he landed he jumped up and kicked me in my chest.

It didn't hurt, but it forced me to stumble back to gather my bearings as the past three seconds flashed across my mind. I didn't know if I was more surprised over my reaction or over how he didn't break his arm when he twisted his body like that. I glared at my mentor.

"As I told you before Ronde you are a terrible liar. If you think that this is a game then you will get hurt I'm not pulling my punches."

'Why is he doing this? Is this some sort of test or something? But he knows if I am lying or not so what's the point in making something up?' "Fine you caught me lying but how could I forget how to fight after everything you taught me and what my father put me through. But what is true is I don't want to fight or spar with you. Why are we doing this anyway?"

"It's called muscle memory, first off, second we're doing this because you need this. Now get ready."

Just like home there no way for this to end until the person who started it says so. I have no other choice but to spar with him, but unlike him, I have to pull my punches. I could seriously hurt him just like...in my dreams. I stood in my offensive stance ready for him to attack me.

He smiled and said, "That stance is something like what you did when you were a kid but now I see plenty of openings for me to exploit. Here I come, Ronde."

He lunged at me again and kicked me but I quickly dodged it as well. One he landed he quickly turned around and tried to hit me with his elbow but I quickly blocked it with my hand. He was using most of his strength to push his elbow but I kept it at bay.

"Why did you run away from home?"

That question distracted me for a moment, but during it, my mentor punched me in my face. I took a few steps back but he didn't give me time to think as he spun around and kicked me.

"Well? If you were that dragon you found out you can change back why didn't you return Ronde!?"

I was starting to get irritated but I didn't respond. I just stood in my stance again.

This time my mentor was getting a little frustrated, he dashed towards me and punched me repeatedly but I would either dodge the blow or block it. But he continues asking me questions, "Your father isn't an excuse, why haven't you returned home? Do you not love your family enough? Was it those kids that made fun of you or were it the responsibility of the crowd?"

For the first time, I swung at him out of impulse but he anticipated it, he ducks and gets behind me putting me in a chokehold. I tried to remove his arm around my neck but then he kicked the back of my leg and I fell on the ground on my knees. His arm was getting tighter to the point I was having a difficult time breathing. I thought he said this was sparing? Why is he doing this?

"Why have you been so selfish? Don't you care about your mother's feelings? How could you abandon them? If you really cared you would have come back so why didn't you!?"

Steam was forming around my body and with all my strength I removed his arm around my neck. He was surprised by my strength but I needed to retaliate. He backed away from me but I wasn't done, I knew from the distance I couldn't punch or kick him so I turned around and with all my strength I launched myself at him and headbutted him in his stomach.

He stumbled over and almost fell but he stood up but as he was I got angry and yelled, "What the hell do you know about me!? You don't know how I felt about leaving! You think I wanted to leave my mother, my sister and my grandmother behind!? I DIDN'T, I JUST WANTED TO LIVE! YOU CAN CALL ME SELFISH FOR LEAVING THE CROWD BUT I DON'T WANT YOU, MY FAMILY TO THINK I WAS A MONSTER!"

He looked surprised for a moment and then he smiled, "Tell me how did that make you feel? You say that but you're still not being honest!"

I lunched at him again but I didn't care. I just punched aimlessly at him, "You can't possibly understand what I've been through. Being turned into something unrecognizable to your family, my father tried to use me just in a different way, my mother looking at me in fear. I can't handle my own family. The only people I know who love me reject me because of what I was!"

I jumped and kicked him on the side, he blocked it with both his arms. But the force of my kick might have been a little much for him because he stumbled back. "My father was a terrible parent! You were more of a father then he was! Hell, my adopted father was a dragon and he treated me more like a son than he ever did!"

He was quicker than I expected when it came to his recovery and kicked me in my stomach, "Now we're getting somewhere! Ronde just keep fighting!"

I got up from the ground and ran towards him ready to punch him, caught my right hand. I swung with my left but he grabbed my wrist, we were at a standoff but he wasn't expecting how strong I was. I was pushing him back. But I was just so angry I was throwing my rage at him, "I can't return home! I don't want to go! You people can never understand!"

He suddenly let go and push me away from him and yelled, "Then tell me! Let it all out Ronde!"

My mouth moved before I had a chance to think. "I CAN'T BE AROUND PEOPLE THAT I LOVE WHO REJECT ME! I CAN'T HANDLE THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE CROWD! I JUST WANTED TO BE FREE OF ALL OF IT!"

To my frustration, he didn't look very surprised; he just stood there and watched me vent.

"All my life, I just wanted to have a choice to do things, and I got that when I was a dragon. I had a family who loved me. I had siblings I wanted to grow up with. I had friends and teachers that I had time to be with. If I return home, I will lose all of that." I looked at him. "I really did miss you guys, but I didn't want you to reject me, for if you did, what would be my motivation to live? I was afraid of being called a monster or a demon. I would rather you guys think that I was dead than have your last memory be of me as a monster."

He suddenly lunged at me. I was scared because I wasn't prepared, but he had his arms around me. Was he...hugging me?

"Ronde, I understand why now. Most of the kids believed that you had more freedom because you were the king's son, but they were wrong. You didn't have freedom or much of a choice of anything. You did everything you could to prove to your father and anyone who doubted you that you were the strongest of them all. What you went through, you're right: I can't understand, but I do know how it feels to be out of place and trying to prove your worth."

I couldn't breathe around the lump in my throat. I couldn't speak, but the indecipherable noises that escaped my throat said enough. I grabbed my mentor's shirt, my vision misty from the tears that I no longer cared about as I gasped for air.

He hugged me tighter. "Ronde, it's okay to cry, let it all out and start anew."

I wept next to him, my eyes burning as the tears refused to stop.

"My father told me this once: it is not a weakness for a man to cry. If a man cries, it's not because he's weak, but because he's been strong too long. And so far, Ronde, you've been strong by yourself for seven years, so let it all out and, when you're ready, we can talk, okay?"

I just kept crying on his shoulder, holding onto him, hoping he wouldn't leave me like I had left them.

...Several Minutes Later...

I had finally calmed down and was sitting next to my mentor. "Master, I do want to go home, but...I have been away so long that I just feel guilty to return. My sister, my mother and grandmother, and you were the true family that I'd known for those ten years I stayed. But I didn't have any friends. People only saw me as the king's son instead of my own person. It didn't help when my father was training me. Nobody seemed to want to stop him except for you and my mother."

I started to chuckle. "You know what's funny about him training me? Every time he would push or kick me to the ground, I would always look up towards the sky and wished I could escape or fly away from there. I guess my wish came true."

"Ronde." I glanced sideways at him. "I have to admit that you had a life that most kids wouldn't want to experience with the training, the pressure of the whole country on your shoulders, and the expectations that were difficult to reach. You were a very observant child. You were reading, drawing, and saying words that I couldn't even understand by the time you were five; you learned how to speak a different language by six; you were fighting and winning against kids and teens even before you were seven. But I'm assuming that everything you did was just so you could impress your father, correct?"

I nodded. "Yes. I just wanted to hear him say 'I'm proud of you, son' one time in my life. But somehow a dragon beat him before he could even say it. I gave up on that dream when I was eight."

I looked at him again, and, going by his facial expressions, he wanted to say something, but he held it back. He instead told me, "Ronde, you said that you ran away because you didn't want to be seen as a monster and because you thought that your father tried to kill you...but I believe it was more than that."

"What?"

"Maybe it was an unconscious decision, but it sounds like another reason for why you fled was the responsibility of the crowd. Maybe you tried to seek help, but in the back of your mind, I think that was one of the reasons. But what happened with those kids pushed the idea that you were a monster even further in your mind."

Was that true? I didn't want to be king, but was it that reason why it was so easy to run away? Or was I just not thinking at all and focusing on leaving?

But I remember I was thinking about creating my own path. I remember thinking when grandma was talking back into the castle, _**('my life up till now has been training, combat, learning new strategies and learning how to be the next k-, no I never wanted that, out of all the responsibilities I never wanted to become that. I never wanted to replace my father, but thank god I wasn't the firstborn in this family, that title goes to my sister's but if they fail the test it will be up to me. But I'm a dragon now so that's not going to happen either. But again what do I want in my life? My life has been on a course that was built by my father but now I have a choice to continue on his path that he created or to make my own.')**_

I was thinking about it, not to run away but to create my own path. But it was the idea that I was a monster that helped push that thought into fruition. It was an unconscious decision.

Then I noticed that his arms were shaking and realized why. I didn't hold back that kick he blocked and now his arms are either broken, or-the best case scenario-they were just bruised. I almost apologized, but he shifted his weight onto his feet.

He stood up and began walking. "Ronde, I believe you should return home, but it's your decision. You don't have to reveal who you are, but I think that if you want to move on and not hold on to your feelings anymore, then you should come back home. But right now, just follow me and think about what I said."

I followed him out of the ring. He closed the door, but the moment I walked out of the shade, I was tackled by something.

I fell on my back and heard my mentor calling my name, but I heard another voice, or rather, in this case, a growl,("Partner that was amazing! Do two legs fight like that all the time?")

I looked up and saw Thunder's snout in my face, but what she said implied that she was here for a while. "Thunder to answer your question. As far as I know no, only people from my land can fight as we did, 2nd please get off me."

She got off me and my mentor helped me up while looking at my partner saying, "So, this Skrill is your dragon? I thought that they couldn't be trained and were very aggressive."

I laughed, "Trust me she's aggressive in her own way. But I owe her something so for now she's my partner."

Then he looks over at the Skrill, "And were you just talking to the dragon? You can understand them?"

I nodded, "Yeah, I don't feel like going through the details but you saw me as a dragon."

"I just didn't think that they had their own language," he said surprised. "Anyway we have to go so we can get good seats."

"Good seats?" I asked.

We managed to get to the village where I saw slingshots scattered across the village and a crowd of people was gathering and lining up to go to some sort of post. Thunder seems not to be interested so she flew off. When we got to the crowd of people I saw Gobber in the area where people were entering and he stopped us and said, "Hold on, Hiccup told me that you and the boy would be here. Your queen is already set up at the top so if the others try to stop you, come to see me."

My mentor only nodded but I was scared when Gobber mentioned that my mother was here. My mentor grabbed my arm as if I were a child and rushed through the crowd of people. Some were yelling, "No cutting!" While others were just getting upset because I kept bumping into them. But we managed to get through without an incident and we climbed the stairs. This place seems to be reserved for the leaders of this village. I saw Golthi and I believe it was Snotlout's father right next to her but in the middle of this area was my mother sitting on what looks to be a throne. But she was wearing something different she had put her hair into a ponytail and was wearing beads across her neck and arms. She wasn't wearing a dress but a long-sleeved skirt with pants. She looked very casual today.

My mentor let go of me, went to my mother, and said, "I have brought him, Neurie, but please go slow and do not rush him."

She saw me and looked very happy. She got up and walked towards me but when she was close to me she stopped. She looked conflicted, but she smiled softly and said, "Hello Ronde, please come. I saved you a seat."

I looked over next to the throne, instead of seeing a chair, I saw a footrest where people put their feet while they were sitting. I looked at my mother who was very nervous and waiting for me to respond. I was irritated but it beat sitting on the floor so I said, "Thank you, mother, I appreciate it."

We walked over towards the throne. I sat down on the footrest and my mother sat down on the throne and my mentor stood beside my mother on her left side.

After a while, no one said anything to each other as if we were waiting for someone to start the conversation. I saw my mother twiddling her hand from nervousness and my mentor was just looking back and forth between my mother, myself and what was going on in the village.

I could take all this silence and awkwardness between us all so I blurted out, "Fine I'll start, what are we doing he-"

(Horn bellowing)

I was cut off by the horn noise and saw Gobber walking towards the middle of the other side of the stand then announced, "Ladies and gentlemen may the competition of Dragon Racing begin!"

Suddenly I saw all of the dragon Riders on their dragons with paintings all over them.

They flew past the crowd while the people were cheering and chanting, "What the hell is this?" I asked no one in particular.

My mentor answered, "They call it Dragon Racing. They said it was somewhat difficult to do the sport while they had ice because they told us that the sheep would be hiding in places where it would be impossible to grab them. So they had to put the competition on hold for 5 months. Plus they told me that someone in their group kept cheating."

The first few people who came to mind were the twins and Snotlout. But this was a competition? How does it work and what are the rules?

Suddenly a catapult launched a sheep in the air. I was shocked but then Fishlegs and his dragon caught the sheep mid-air. But then Snotlout on top of Hookfang tackled him but Meatlug never let go of the sheep. They came in our direction until Meatlug dropped the sheep into a net.

Gobber then announced, "Fishlegs takes the first point!"

The crowd cheered and I think I understood how this game works. But what surprised me was to see my mother cheering as well.

"Wooooooow! Get those sheep! I can't believe we haven't thought of something like this for our people. Imagine if we could do something like this to invite everyone in each of our tribes to come together. I hope that the chief doesn't mind if we use the sport."

She looked down at me and was slightly embarrassed because of her outburst, "Oh, sorry. So uh how is your day Ronde?"

I looked over towards the competition and told her, "Other than me destroying my house and fighting to relieve some stress that I had built up over the years it's going pretty well. How about you?"

She was a little bit cheerful, "Oh, uh nothing I just wanted to prepare myself for this competition so I dressed appropriately. And the chief gave us these seats so we could all watch this sport together."

I nodded, "I see."

There was an awkward moment of silence, I believe she was expecting me to say more. She just sat down and looked between me and the Dragon Riders, and it looked like Astrid had scored 2 points while everyone was cheering.

I decided to end the silence between us with a question, "So, how's home? Is there anything new?"

She had a small smile, "We build new homes for us and the dragons, we have similar feeding stations just like this small village and our garden has blossomed even more now but we had to build a wall so people wouldn't try to sneak in. But our tribes are fine."

"And what about my sister's?" I asked with a little bit of concern in my voice.

"They're fine, the oldest has a knack for design and hair. The other one has a mouth on her but she wants to help people so she's been helping my mother with people and dragons but she still doesn't know what she wants to do with her life. Oh, and she is engaging with someone."

"She's engaged? Good for her."

She had her arms crossed, "Yes but she still has an attitude, I don't know where she gets that from."

I laughed, "Truth be told, mother she got it from you. You are very scary when you're mad."

My mentor tried to hold in a laugh and my mother noticed it and gave him an evil glare but she closed her eyes and said, "Whatever Ronde I'm not that bad."

I said out loud, "Mother, I'll let you believe that but remember you did slap a guard because you thought he was whistling at you but he was just whistling a song that was stuck in his head."

My mentor finally blurted out a laugh, "If it wasn't for your mother that guy would have gotten a permanent lisp. You scratch him deeply on his face with your nails."

My mother was embarrassed, "Not my proudest moment but I gave the guy a raise!"

As both me and my mentor were laughing at my mother Snotlout managed to get one of his own sheep but he had it above his head carrying it with one arm. But Toothless and Hiccup did a barrel roll and snatched it out of Snotlout grasp. Hiccup threw the sheep into his net while Snotlout was yelling a string of curses while flailing his arms in the air.

"Ronde."

I looked over towards my mother and she gave me a serious expression then looked over towards the competition, "I and Skild are leaving tomorrow morning. As much as I want to stay here in this very tiny village I am needed in my...our country. It will take us about a month for us just to return home, we didn't bring our dragons to accompany us because of that meeting. But it's up to you to come with us, I'm not going to force you to come home, it is your choice."

I was shocked and saddened by that.

Mother noticed my sadness and placed her hand over my shoulder to get my attention, "If you do want to talk to us just come by our ship in their harbor. If you want to have one last conversation or you decide to come with us just come and we will talk, ok?"

I didn't know how to respond, I knew in my heart that they couldn't stay here. I didn't think that they would leave so soon after just recently seeing them. I just responded with my voice cracking and said, "O-Ok."

The dragon Riders continued to gather sheep but it's looked like Astrid was in the lead with Hiccup barely close by.

Suddenly another horn sounded off and then I heard the people in the crowd muttering 'The black sheep' over and over.

The other dragon Riders were looking around the village. Then suddenly a black object was launched very high in the air and I could tell that it was the black sheep that everyone was talking about. They began to cheer when all of the dragon Riders were flying towards it Astrid seemed to be the closest to it while Hiccup was second.

Then suddenly Thunder came out of nowhere and grabbed the sheep before Astrid even touched it. And flying by the crowd of very confused people, I shared their confusion as she dumped the sheep into one of the nets that weren't being used and flew towards us while roaring, ("That right I win! Nobody wins while I'm around!")

She flew towards us, landed in front of me and said, ("Partner, I won the competition for having the weirdest looking 4 legs. Does that mean I win? And now the other males will have me as a mate because I beat the other two females.")

I was embarrassed because everyone was looking in our direction, some were confused with others very angry. I touched her snout and said, "No it doesn't work like that. It was a competition but it wasn't a way for the otherkin to find a mate, it was just a way for them to test their skills and you might have ruined that by coming in at the last second."

She was confused, ("A competition where they only test out their skills? That very rock headed thinking.")

Gobber then announced, "Well that dragon put the sheep in the guest net so it gains 10 points but it puts it in 3rd place behind Hiccup. That means Astrid wins the game!"

The people cheered again while others were looking at us angrily.

Thunder then she snorted, ("I can never understand Two-legs.")

After a while, the crowd of people left and It was me, my mother and my mentor. The other dragon Riders went home. My mentor stayed while my mother waved me goodbye.

He leaned down to hold my shoulder and said to me, "Ronde, rather you decide to come with us or not is up to you. But you owe it to your mother to see her with your answer. So please be considerate of her feelings, I'll see you later."

He walked off and went to my mother's side. I saw them walking together towards the village, they looked very peaceful.

Meanwhile, it was just me and Thunder, I need to do something before I see my mother again. I faced Thunder and asked, "Hey could you take me to my house please."

She lowered her head and allowed me to climb on her neck but I had to hold on to her head horns so I wouldn't slide off and then we flew off towards my home.

As soon as she landed I got off and looked at the wreckage that was my home. The roof was caved in, there were holes on the side and my door was just hanging by a thread.

Thunder went closer towards my house looking very confused, ("What happened here? I was here the last sun and those holes weren't there.")

I walked towards my broken home and Thunder was next to me as I told her, "I turned into a kin last night while I was sleeping. It happens sometimes when I'm dreaming or what you call having a sleep vision something very stressful or if I'm too relaxed."

I walked in front of my door and saw inside, I couldn't sleep here tonight if I wanted to there are wood chipping everywhere. I sat down on the entrance and Thunder sat down next to me, "I was dreaming about my mother calling me a monster and I accidentally killed my mentor. And something tells me if I hadn't woken up sooner I probably would have gone on a rampage."

I was embarrassed explaining this to her.

She also looked saddened by what I said then she got closer to me and nuzzled me, ("So, one of your fears is being rejected by your Dam? Perhaps maybe you should talk to her.")

"I'm leaning toward that Thunder but I need to decide what I need to do. But right now I need to talk to Hiccup and then Fishlegs."

("I don't know who those Two-Legs are but I will accompany you, my partner.")

I smiled and rubbed her snout, "Thank you, let go to Hiccups house first."

I got on her back again and I guided her towards Hiccup's house. And when we landed I got off of her and knocked on Hiccups door. He opened it and then I noticed he had black scales all over his clothes which I can assume it was from Toothless. He walked out to greet me, "Oh hey Ronde, do you need something?"

I shook my head, "No, I came to apologize for what Thunder had done during the competition. She thought that it was a way for other male dragons to notice her."

He then smiled, "To tell you the truth Ronde, we thought that you might have joined us during the 2nd half of the game. So we made you and your dragon a net so it's fine."

I was a little surprised they tried to think ahead but they probably didn't know about me and my mother sitting next to my mother and talking to her for as long as I did. "I didn't know that sorry for wasting your time building that for me."

He waved it off, "It's fine, your dragon is very fast, I didn't even see her coming. But it was fun that all that matters. Anyway, is anything else? I'm not trying to rush you but I need to finish this project and go to sleep early."

"I uh, destroyed my house while I was sleeping," I said embarrassed.

Then Hiccup said, "So I guess you have nowhere to sleep?"

"Not exactly, I guess I can sleep on my mother ship but if that doesn't work out do you mine if I sleep near your fireplace again?"

He pointed at me and said in a joking manner, "As long as you don't break my door again."

"No promises, I'm somewhat unpredictable," I said in a serious tone.

He smiled and looked over inside his house and said, "If you have nowhere else to go then it's fine Ronde."

"Thank you Hiccup, I might see you tomorrow."

He was about to close his door but before he completely closed it he said, "You will."

Once he closed his door I got on Thunder and we flew to Fishlegs home and I knocked on his door. He answered but immediately ignored me; it went straight for Thunder.

He was bouncing up and down excitedly and started to examine Thunder body. "Oh my Gods! This is a Skrill!? I have never been this close to one without it trying to kill me! But this is an odd coloration for a Skrill. And what happened to its dorsal spikes? And why are its scales so smooth?

Thunder had enough of Fishlegs touching and examining her. She snarled at him very viciously ss electricity was cracking all over her body, ("Do not touch me!")

I tried to calm her down while Fishlegs was on the ground trying to pick himself up and while he was he asked, "So that Skrill that snagged the black sheep was yours? I was impressed by the fact that this dragon was able to snatch it before Astrid and Stormfly could."

I turned around towards Thunder who looked confused because she was left out of the conversation so I told her, "He's giving you a compliment Thunder."

("Oh, well tell him I said thank you and not to touch me.")

I repeated her messages to him and he understood. Then he asked, "So what are you doing here Ronde?"

I gave him a serious look and place my hand out, "I need my book back."

He looked slightly scared but he walked inside his house and came back a few moments later in my book. He handed it to me and when I did I asked, "Did you manage to copy all the information I gathered about the dragon's I encountered throughout my life?"

He nodded, "Yes I did, thank you for letting me borrow it."

"You technically stole it when we first met but you're welcome. I would also appreciate it if you don't tell the others about my life any further than what I had explained during that meeting."

He smiled while twiddling his thumbs, "Yeah I wouldn't do that. But your life has been interesting for what I've read even though you were being very vague. I was able to connect the dots and know what was happening during those portions of what I read."

I turned away, "Yeah, my life during these years had its ups and downs and I was very lucky to have help from others dragons otherwise I would have most likely gone insane. But I'm here now, alive and well with people I can call my friends."

Then I laughed nervously, "To tell you the truth you guys were the first human friends I ever had. And I think I'm around the age of 17 so that says a lot right there. But I'm glad I met you guys."

He smiled and then said, "Well we're glad to have met you to. But Ronde I have to go. I'll see you tomorrow."

I turned around and before I had a chance to respond he had already closed his door. I wanted to say 'I might not be here tomorrow' If I decided to go home. But I guess I'll have to wake up early and say my goodbyes if it comes to that.

I turned over towards Thunder and said, "We have one more place to go and it will be up to you if you want to say and sleep there."

She made a sound similar to sighing and growls, ("If it's comfortable I'll stay.")

I nodded then hopped on her back, "Were going to see my Dam ok? I just need to show her something to make my final decision if I'm going with her back to my home."

("Whatever you say. But if you want to feel better I recommend for you to return home.") She said while I was climbing on her back.

We flew towards the docks and when I saw the ship that my mother brought it was closer to the size of a warship but this one was meant for carrying over large numbers of passengers to a new area comfortably and it looks like it's a new model so maybe they made it for dragons as well.

We landed at the front of the ship while my mother was looking over at the sunset at the back. Once she heard us land she looked over and walked towards us smiling. I got off of Thunder and took a few steps forward but not too far from my dragon.

She got closer but then stopped abruptly in front of me. I think she wanted to hug me but she was trying to take things slowly. Then she greets us with a wave, "Hello Ronde, and Ronde's dragon. I thank you for coming. Skild is asleep right now so I'm just out here looking at the sunset."

I couldn't take it anymore that the fact she's trying to contain herself to not rush me but it seems to be hurting her. So I dropped my book on the floor and hugged her.

She was surprised, "Rond-"

I cut her off by hugging her a little tighter, "Mother I know I've been away for a long time but I know you too well. I appreciate you trying to take your time with me, to not rush me into doing something. But I hate when you do it and it's clearly hurting you. I don't want to be the source of your misery or unhappiness."

After a few moments she hugged me back tightly and started to cry, "Ronde it's not like that It is the opposite you are the source to my happiness. When you were gone I was very sad for a long time until your grandmother told me that you were still alive. I felt happy when I knew there was a chance that you were alive. And when I saw that purple dragon I knew I had to see it so there was a chance to see you again. Ronde I'm very happy right now being right here with you. But right now have you made your decision?"

I slowly let go of her and she did the same. I needed to know something, I just needed to hear it from her. I gave my mother a serious look and asked her, "Before I answered that I need to know something. That purple dragon...what did you think of it?"

My mother was confused, "What do you mean what do you think of it? It was you, wasn't it?"

I had a hard time looking in her eyes, "That purple dragon was...is me but..."

My mother put her hand over my shoulder, "Ronde it's ok whatever my mother gave you finally wore off."

I brushed off her hand, that comment made me so sad, she believed that so I guess I'll have to tell her. "No, it didn't, whatever she did to me will always be a part of me. I'm still that dragon that you saw that day."

She looked surprised, "Oh, I'm sorry for saying that."

I shook my head, "No, don't be, I know you just want that little boy that you raised but I'm not that kid anymore. I'm sorry for running away and not returning home. But the idea scared me that you would call me a monster or a demon because you saw what I did to my father. I didn't want your last memories of me thinking I was a monster. But that was very selfish of me for not considering your feelings. I'm so sorry."

My mother gave me a small smile and said my name so gently, "Ronde."

I looked over and saw her standing up, "Change in front of me."

My eyes widened and I took a few steps back away from her, "Wh-What!?"

She had her hand on her hips and gave me a small smile, "If you can change into a dragon do it in front of me. If you believe I'll call you a monster because you look different then I'll have to show you that I'll still love you regardless of what you look like."

That shocked me that she said that but I just couldn't do it here, "I don't know if I can do it in front of you."

She smiled, "Ronde if we both want to grow and move on then this a start."

I was embarrassed, "No, I mean that I can't do it with my...clothes on."

She was confused until she got what I was trying to imply, "Oh, Ronde, I gave birth to you. I've seen you naked before and your father as well. Now that I think about it everyone in our castle has seen you naked. Remember the time that I tried to bath you but you didn't like the way I was scrubbing you so you ran around the castle butt naked while trying to hide from me while I was chasing you? But if you want I could turn around."

Did she have to bring that up? "I know for a fact that you'll just say you'll turn around but take a peek anyway."

"Ronde just do it, I'm not going to judge you for being my son." She said.

I growled in annoyance, "Fine!" I quickly took off my shirt and threw it at her to cover her face. One time it did and I couldn't see her eyes I took off my boots and pants and quickly changed. I was in the middle of the process before she saw me. I couldn't register but what's going on but I saw my mother with a horrific look on her face.

Once the change was completed I just laid there on the ship trying to compose myself.

My mother walked closer to me and placed her hand on my cheek, "Ronde you there?" She asked concerned.

I wasn't ready to talk yet but I smiled at her and she looked relieved, "Good, I would say 'see was that so bad' but it looked and sounded painful are you ok?"

I slowly got up and nodded.

She got closer to me, "Can you not speak while you are like this?"

I leaned a little closer to her and was trying to adjust my vocal muscles, "Yes I can."

She seems surprised as if she wasn't trying to get her hopes up, "Wow, my son is a talking dragon. But see, I'm still here aren't I?"

I slightly chuckled and looked away from her slightly, "Yes you are."

She went around to examine my body, "Your voice is a little deeper but I can still recognize your voice. You look very strong for a dragon and what with the purple scales? I'm not saying it doesn't look good on you but it's a weird color choice."

I looked over to her, "I can change my scales color but this was the color that I had when I first changed. I didn't have a choice."

She got in front of me and asked, "What kind of dragon are you?"

"I don't know, I've never seen any that looked like me so I just called this body the Chimera. I called it that because certain body parts looked like those from other dragons like my horns are the same material that is in Nadder spikes. My spikes on my back are smaller but similar to a nightmare and my scales are hard like Razorwhips But the hair and thumbs are from my human side."

She looked impressed, "I see, well you can change back and I can show you to a room that you can sleep in."

"Mother I can't change back and forth like that. It's too much for my body." I told her

She looked disappointed, "So you have to stay like that? Crap well there might be a cage for our dragons at the bottom if you can fit."

"I think I'll sleep outside."

She was angry, "No son of mine is sleeping outside! Come with me and bring your dragon as well," she said while walking towards a giant latch in the middle of the ship.

She tried to lift it but it seems to be too heavy for her so I helped her. We flipped it together and then she climbed down to the bottom, "Yeah, there's enough room for you to move around but it might be a little tight for you but you should fit. Come on and I'll show you where you can sleep."

I look inside the hallway just to see how wide it was. It looks somewhat big enough for me to move around in but still, "Mother I don't think I want to sleep in a cage. I'll prefer to sleep outside."

She turned around to give a look that even scared me to the point I whimpered out of fear. She pointed towards the ground and demanded: "Ronde get over here now."

Thunder then laughed at me, ("Wow she is your Dam to make you whimper like that.")

I tried to ignore her and slowly climb down to the second floor with Thunder behind me. The hallway was a bit cramped but I could walk through it but I had to be very low to the ground as if I was stalking a prey.

She was right next to a cage. When I got close to it I saw a pile of hay and some sort of grass. She led me inside and I couldn't believe that there was enough space for me to move around, it wasn't much but enough to not feel cramped.

She smiled, "We had to build this cage for the Red death baby we found just in case we had to move it to another place within our tribe. But he found his place within my mother's back yard. But we had found out that dragons like to rest on these haystacks and they can build their own little nest for them to sleep on. Why don't you give it a try?"

I walk inside to see how this could work. I grabbed a pile and spread it in an area where I could lay down. Once I believed I had enough I tried to get comfortable by laying down on it, once I did the hay adjusted to my weight almost like a mattress but not only that it adjusted with my other body parts like my arms, legs, and tail. I felt like I was just floating and was very comfortable to the point I purred out loud that my mother heard it.

She laughed, "I didn't think you could purr like a cat. But I assume that means you're comfortable, I bet this beats sleeping outside doesn't it?"

"Fine, I admit that this is very relaxing."

Just then I saw Thunder going inside of the other cage in front of us and went nuts putting all the hay in one massive pile with her wings and jumped on top of it.

My mother and I shared a laugh watching her make a nest for herself. She looked over towards us, ("Yeah I'm sleeping in here for now.") She growls and then curls up.

My mother then looked at me, "Well Ronde, Goodnight I'll see you in the morning."

I felt something in my chest as I watched her left. I couldn't watch her go, "Wait, mother."

She turns around looking a bit confused and concerned, "Yes Ronde what's wrong?"

"Could you stay here...until I fall asleep?"

She had a small smile and walked inside my cage next to me and sat down next to my head on my left side. She gently rubbed my face, "Yeah sure just don't be up all night I have to prepare myself for the long journey."

I had completely forgotten she is leaving tomorrow. And the fact that it's going to take a month if not more to travel back to Afri by boat. They could be attacked by pirates or a thunderstorm could be on their path. I just couldn't live with myself if something were to happen to them.

I do want to return home but...I just can't do it knowing my father will just ruin everything. But I owe it to them to return, my mother, my sisters, Grandma and my mentor. I need to return to show them that I'm alive and for my sake as well, but I need to make some accommodations.

I looked over at my mother and I inhaled to calm my nerves then exhaled before I was about to tell her my decision, "Mother."

She was still rubbing my cheek, "Yes, my son."

"You wanted to know my decision before you left to go back home?" I asked.

Her eyes widened and I felt her get a little tense when I mentioned that, "Yes, have you made your decision?"

"I have and I think it's best if I come with you."

She got up and cheered jumping up and down like she was a little girl getting excited to get her first doll, "Thank you Ronde! I promise I won't let you down."

I had to stop her before she became too excited and had her hopes up, "Mother I have some accommodations that need to be met before we leave ok."

She stopped cheering and looked at me with a worried look, "Oh, o-ok what are they?"

I think I should start easy then go into the hard ones, "First you are leaving your ship behind, I will not have you and my mentor travel across the sea for a month. Me and my dragon will take you back by flying there and it should take no more than a week."

She looked surprised, "Oh, but I have to leave my ship here? I guess if it's possible I'll just have someone come get it and bring it back. Ok, are there any more?"

I nodded, "Second I'll be staying there for a few weeks, maybe longer depending on how I feel. And it's up to you to find me a home to live in or make some excuse for me to live in the castle with you."

She looked somewhat disappointed, "I see, I'll find a way."

"The last thing is when we get there do not tell anyone who I am especially my dear father. If you do tell him or anyone who I am I will leave immediately."

She was shocked, "But Ronde I-"

I cut her off, "If they recognize me then it's fine I just don't want you to tell them. I'm only doing this to prove to you that my father didn't care about me, if he does then he can easily recognize his own son when I'm in front of him. But those are my accommodations. If you can accept them then we'll leave tomorrow morning if not I'm sorry but I can't go with you."

She sighs, "It will be difficult but fine I will accept them. But if you can manage to get to our home let it be by next week there's something I need to do."

"Well I'm pretty fast and I haven't seen Thunder at her max speed but she is also fast as well so yeah we can get you there by that time," I responded.

She looked over towards Thunder, "Wait that dragon is a female? Does that mean that you two are...you know," she put her hands together during that pause.

It took me a few seconds to get what she was implying and my scales changed color, "No! We're nothing like that! She's just my associate but we're slowly becoming friends but that is as far as it's going to go."

"Ronde I'm not going to judge you. I'm mean you are a dragon to so I know that things can happen when-"

"Mother!" I yelled

She laughs, "I'm sorry Ronde, I just wanted to tease you. But if it's uncomfortable to talk about then it's fine. By the way, when your scales changed color is that your body's way of showing emotion like a mood ring? So when you turn pink you're embarrassed?"

I covered my face with my claws, "Can we just talk about something please?"

She had giggled and said, "When I can I have grandchildren? At this point, I don't care if they're human or dragon as long as they came from you."

I could feel my scales changing colors when she said, "Mom please stop, I don't want to think about that right now."

"Is there anyone in this tiny village that you have interest in? Like that blonde haired girl in the red with that Nadder. Or that other girl with the Zippleback? Nah they don't seem like your type."

"Mother!" I roared.

She places her hands up, "Ok I'm sorry geez, you don't need to go all feral on me. Look, is there anything you want to talk about?"

I shook my head, "No, just please stay until I fall asleep. But if you have questions about my life I left my book at the top of the ship. When I fall asleep you can read it to know what I've been through, but be warned I was being very vague about me being a dragon just in case someone found it."

"Oh ok I read it before I go to bed," she responded.

At that moment we just stared at each other, we didn't say anything she just stared at me. I don't know if it was instinct or just because I miss her I rubbed my face against her.

"Ronde?"

I slightly back away, "I'm sorry, it's just missed you so much."

She moved closer then hugged my face, "So have I, my son," she then laughed, "To think you were that tiny purple dragon. You were barely tall enough to reach my middle thigh and now look at you, you're the 3rd biggest dragon I've seen. But rather you are a person or a dragon Ronde I will always still love you, and don't you forget it."

I smile because I had an idea, "Hey mother."

She gave me her attention, "Yes?"

"Just like the old times, could you hum that melody again?"

She smiled and closed her eyes, "Yes, I believe I can my son."

I laid down on the comfortable hay as she was humming the song she used to sing back when I was a child. The swaying of the ship helps to give me a calm atmosphere and right next to my mother I slowly fell asleep.

The next morning.

After waking up and trying to get myself out of the second floor I was just waiting for my mother and my mentor to finish packing their stuff. My mentor didn't have much with him, just something he used to shave his hair and some clothes. But my mother was taking her sweet time trying to figure out what clothes and dresses she should bring. Both I and my mentor were getting impatient and Thunder was just curious about what was going on.

Finally, after some time she came out with a bag full of clothes and said, "Alright I've decided to bring these clothes."

What irritated me was the bag wasn't even that full! But it's over now, we can finally go. I then told them, "Ok, I'm ready you both can get on my back."

My mother then said, "Actually Ronde, we're still waiting for someone."

I was confused, "Who are we waiting for? We're all here."

She only looked up and pointed towards the village. I looked to where she was pointing and saw several figures coming towards us.

All of the Dragon Riders on top of their dragons landed in front of the ship.

Hiccup got off of Toothless and walked towards my mother. They both greeted each other with a handshake. Hiccup smiled and said, "Thank you for the suggestion yesterday, they agreed my friends and I are allowed to go."

What are they talking about? I looked over towards the other and what I saw shocked me. The Riders and their dragons had packed for something.

"...no..."

My mother then looked at me, "Ronde good news your friends from this tiny village are coming along with us."

I lost it, "No no oh hell no! Naw they can't...you just...What the hell is even happening!?"

"Ronde language," My mother said.

Astrid then spoke up, "Yeah what's wrong? You don't even say goodbye to us and now you're getting made because we're going with you? What with that?"

I just told her the truth, "I trust 3 out of 6 of you guys and I'm sorry for not saying goodbye, I was planning on it but...look why are you coming in the first place?"

Hiccup then spoke up, "After dragon racing your mother had come to my house and told me that she would be glad if I were to come to your country and discuss more ways for our village to become connected and allies. So before you came to my house I spoke to Gobber and the others and they agreed. So now we're all going to your village."

I was shocked because I knew the true intentions of why my mother did that. I looked over to her and said, "You had a contingency plan just in case I said no, didn't you? In order to make me come back home, you wanted my friend to come to force me to go with them?"

She shrugged, "I mean it was one of the benefits to my plan."

I couldn't believe she planned this from the start, I don't know if I should be mad, impressed or both! "You really are my mother, at least I know when I get the habit of planning ahead from."

She and everyone else laughed but Hiccup went towards Toothless and pulled something out of one of his bags, "Also Ronde I wanted to give you and your dragon a gift."

He pulled out a very nice saddle for Thunder. I couldn't believe it, but he had to make that yesterday. It looked very new."

He walked towards Thunder and asked me, "Could you tell her not to attack me while I'm putting this on her?"

I nodded and looked towards Thunder to tell her what he was about to do. She was nervous but accepted it.

Hiccup then tried to put it on Thunder, she tried her best not to move but was eyeing him very closely. He announced that he was finished so I asked her, ("So how does it feel?")

She was examining it all across her body and then she warbled,("It looks weird but I don't feel it that much when I move.")

I looked over to Hiccup, "She Approves but she needs to get used to it."

He smiled "Good I made it just for the both of you. We don't need you to slip off again."

I did want to talk a bit more but if their coming that means we all have to travel the same pace and take breaks.

"Alright I know that we want to continue to chat but if we're going back to my home we need to move right now. So I know that Hiccup has a plan to get there faster so let's hear it."

He scratched the back of his head, "Actually Ronde I was planning on taking the same route as we did while heading to the day of peace. But once we got to the final island I was hoping that you or your mother could show us the rest of the way."

I could only go the right way during the night and follow the stars that would lead me back home during this season. But I think I know the way by the landscape or island that are in my path. Plus my mother has my book that has my map so it should be fine. "As long as we're following my map we should be fine. Plus if we're quick enough with this group we should be there by next week, maybe even quicker if we rest once per day, we wake up in the morning, fly until night and rest we should be there within 5 days."

"Ok but just in case who is handling navigation?" Astrid asked.

My mother spoke up, I and Ronde will, we will be in the front guiding you guys to Afri."

I nodded and looked over at my mentor, "Master, you have to ride on Thunder, my dragon until we get there."

He looked surprised and then they stared at each other, but Thunder only huffed at him.

I looked over my mother, "That means that you will have to fly with me. You'll have to hold on to my back spikes very tightly, ok?"

She nodded and I walked on all fours to get closer to her and lowered my body, she climbed on with my map in hand and her bag on her waist.

I looked over towards them, "Is everyone ready?"

They all climb on their dragons including my mentor. Thunder looked irritated but she was ready to fly.

I took off towards the sky with the others following close behind me. We were all ready to go towards my home.

Home.

* * *

_**-Author's notes-**_

_**I honestly forgot to mention it in a previous chapter because I was in a rush to get it out but the reason why I'm using elements from HTTYD 2 is that they didn't have any impact to the story beyond their initial reveal or unexplained answers.**_

_**The first thing I forgot to mention during the previous chapter is why I brought back Drago Bludvist? Which is somewhat funny because when I was working on these two chapters I recently saw the 2nd movie again. And I remember an interview with the writer/ creator of the HTTYD franchise (the movies not the books) he said they were going to use Drago for the third film to reveal more of his backstory. That lets me know within the story that he is still alive but they replace him with Grimmal for the 3rd movie.**_

_**The second thing is I just wanted to use Dragon Racing as a way for everyone to come together but again it wasn't used beyond the second movie except for the special but…you know.**_

_**Anyway I am going to try my hardest to complete this story without completely rushing it but I don't think I'll be able to get this book done before the end of summer. But I'm still planning on working on the prequel and then my next major project.**_

_**Also because of my wonderful Beta Readers chapters 15,16 and 17 have been improved and worked on.**_

_**Take care.**_


	30. Between Chapters 2

**Ronde**

It's been two days since we've left Berk and it's getting closer to dark. But we make it towards the same island we rested on before the day of peace meeting. Only this time we've brought everyone including my mother and mentor. And after this, we have to go on a different path towards my home, but with each mile, I become more anxious. How much has changed? What are the dragons doing? How much have the dragons integrated into our homes? What has my family been doing without me?

These thoughts just continue to bother me as I was laying down on the soft grass.

The others were around the campsite that they made telling stories and eating fruit that they found. They already had their tents set up. They looked like they were having fun but I just had too much going through my mind right now I just needed some space away from them.

After a while they all went towards their tents with their dragons he fell asleep but my mentor and my mother were coming towards me.

My mother called out to me, "Hey Ronde what wrong? You didn't even try to talk to any of us during the campfire. Those folks have some very interesting stories."

I looked away from her, "Yeah I've heard a few myself."

My mentor then said, "Yeah something wrong with you. What's the matter? Are you mad at us or something? Did we do something to bother you?"

I looked towards them, "No, it's nothing like that it just...I have so many things going through my head right now. I'm still scared to return home and I don't know why. You guys are here but..."

My mother looks sad, "But what son?"

I didn't know what to say to her.

My mentor then spoke up, "Ronde I believe it just guilts me from being away for so long. But trust me once we get there you'll be happy."

Perhaps, but still my sister's and father I'm worried about seeing. And my grandmother I bet she thinks I hate her for doing this to me. If anything I should be thanking her for trying to save my life.

My mentor and mother sat down next to me much to my surprise. My mother was the closest and began rubbing my cheek, "My son everything is going to be ok. I understand that you're nervous I would be too but remember we're going as a family you won't be alone."

I somewhat turned my head away from her. I am not sure if it was nervousness it is more of an uneasy feeling I was having. I am excited to return, yes, am I happy that my mother has accepted me like this, yes. But something is wrong, it's like something is missing almost.

Maybe I am just nervous and just overthinking this. I should be happy that I'm here with them.

I looked over towards them, "I'm fine I just need time to think about stuff before we return home. I appreciate you two checking on me but I just need time. But what were you and the others talking about?"

They both looked at each other and smiled, "Well there were telling us about their adventures when they were teenagers and how they integrated dragons into their homes although it seems they had more difficulty then what we have to go through which is funny to me because their village is smaller."

"Well I guess that something we agree on, their village is only close to a tenth of our village not including the other 3," I said to them.

My mentor then spoke up, "Hey so Ronde is there anyone in this village that you have any interest in?"

I only stared at him, "Mother already asked me that and the answer is no not right now. I don't have any interest in anyone in this group also but you would probably be interested in one of them, she is a strong warrior that's self-taught, you can show her how to properly fight but I don't have any interest in her, she is just a friend with a boyfriend might I add. But I already have someone in mind but they're not from this village."

He looked surprised, "Oh, uh is the girl a..."

"She is not a dragon, she's human," I quickly answered.

I noticed he sighed with relief and slightly laughed, "Oh good, I think if I would be a little awkward to have your future descendants be a dragon ruling our kingdom."

I wasn't amused, "Yeah even if I stay I'm not becoming the next king after my father. I'm sure that that mother and father choose one of my sisters to do it. I'm not picking up pieces or the mess that my ancestors and my father made, I want to choose my own path."

"Sorry Ronde it just-"

I quickly said, "It's fine but I don't want to talk about this anymore tonight. I'm tired and I want to sleep."

They stood up, my mother then said, "Ok Ronde we may talk in the morning but why don't you change back to you can sleep in a tent like us and your friends."

"Mother I think I'll like to sleep outside, I've been like this for nearly half my life and the soft grass is not that bad compared to sleeping on a rocky surface. I'm comfortable like this."

She looked somewhat sad, "Ronde just promised me you won't sleep outside when we get home."

I close my eyes while saying, "No promises, it all depends on my dear father if he wants us in his castle."

She sighed, "I guess in a way you're right just get some rest. We'll talk in the morning."

I tried to get in a comfortable position, "Yeah will do, good night."

I opened my eyes and saw both of them walking away from me as I just sat here wondering to myself. 'Should I tell them about me? How I'm probably going to be like this forever when I get older? Should I just rip off the patch now to save them a great deal of pain later?'

I shook my head, 'No, not yet. I'm not sure if I am even staying at my home. Other than seeing my family again I have no other motivation to stay there. But if something were to happen then I'll say my final goodbyes.

_**Neurie**_

Skild and I went behind my tent, "He's starting to worry me a bit, Skild."

He smiled and said, "Don't worry about it too much he's just probably preparing himself to return home. 7 long years he's been away, I would be nervous too, to see my sister's grandmother and...father."

I sighed, "Woede wasn't the best father to Ronde. I can admit that but he really does care about him. I just hope that Ronde sees that as well."

Skild looked at the ground, "I know that to be true but it will be a very long time before Ronde sees it as that. Unless Woede opens up to him, but you know my friend he doesn't like to show any emotion because he's seen it as a weakness. Both you and I only ever saw him cry once that was when his father and mother died and he was crowned as king when he was 25 around the time you two got married huh?"

I nodded, "Yes that when I discovered that I was pregnant with Ronde. Even though we had children before, my daughter Moyo and Akili we weren't officially married yet. But there was another time I believe I saw Woede crying or at least shed a tear."

He looked somewhat surprised, "Really? When was that?"

"It was after Ronde's funeral or memorial he wouldn't talk or respond to me for several hours. And when we were about to lay down in bed, I'm not sure if I had imagined it but I saw a tear on his left cheek on his face. I would have mentioned it to Ronde but I was afraid he was going to believe me."

Skild looked surprised, "Are you sure? I don't know why I'm surprised because this is his son's supposed death but still he cried?"

I shrugged, "I have no clue, I was sad and tired myself so I'm not sure if I imagined it or not. But I know that Woede loved his son but the way he went about doing it...I only wish I would have stopped him."

Skild put his hand on my shoulder, "We all have known each other since we were kids, and for what I could tell that both you and your husband are very stubborn. Ronde act's just like his father when he was his age. I can see it you know? I mean me and your father have been friends since we were kids. He was so adventurous, we would go into town and make trouble for ourselves. And that when we met you."

I somewhat laughed remembering those days, "You were trying your best to impress me every day until we were teenagers. You brought me flowers and all sorts of gifts. You and Woede were trying so hard to get my attention."

I noticed that his smile somewhat faded, "But you found something in Woede that you like more than what you saw in me."

"Skild it wasn't that I didn't like you or anything. But I saw how the competition between you two to get my attention was destroying your friendship. You two were the best of friends fighting over me. It was hard to choose but Woede just was just more exciting to be with and I saw you as a very close friend. And you know that I didn't know he was a prince until I was pregnant when he told me."

"Neurie it's ok you chose right. I'm glad that we're still friends and I'm glad that me and Woede are still friends with each other. If it wasn't for that I would have never met my wife and I would have never had my son. And you would have never had Ronde. Sometimes I do feel like I am his parent in some ways."

I nodded, "He does see you as a father figure. You have treated him as if he was your son and I did appreciate that. You have taught him well."

He smiled, "Well I do see a little bit of myself in him but mainly I see Woede in him when he was a kid. Being near him makes me feel young again."

I turned around to see Ronde fast asleep, "Yeah those two do act alike."

Skild then said, "Neurie it is getting late and we need to get up early to be on schedule to make it home. Good night I'll see you in the morning."

I nodded and said, "Yes, you to my friend."

He started to walk towards his tent and I did as well. I was beginning to get tried and these portable beds are not the best to my comfort but I can sleep on it. I just feel sorry for my son, why does he want to sleep outside? Is it because he's used to it or he feels as though he was a burden? I don't know and why is he still a dragon? I want to talk to him about it but I'm afraid that I'll push him away. Maybe as the days go on I'll talk to him about it.

I slowly laid down and tried to calm my nerves to fall asleep.

* * *

_**Many miles away from where the dragon Riders were on a small island.**_

_**Unknown**_

My night shift is almost over, working with these people are very taxing but at least they pay well. I should get my pay today. I just need to satisfy these customers.

I need to tenderize the meat then finish cooking it.

"Hey hurry up! I don't get all day women!" One of the bastards yelled at me.

I was starting to get irritated while I was trying to flip a piece on the other side inside the oven, "Hold on! It's almost ready, what? Do you want your food undercooked?"

He didn't respond; he only gave me a look of disappointment. But then my boss named Mimita came in and scowled at me, "What are you doing yelling at my customers?"

She went towards the man with a nervous smile, "I apologize for her as you know it's getting late and we're about to close. But your food is almost ready sir."

I noticed he had his arms crossed when I flipped over the meat and he said to my boss, "You're lucky I'm very hungry otherwise I would have taken my business somewhere else."

Her smile got smaller as she was trying to remain calm, "Yes sir and we appreciate that your food is almost ready. My Apprentice is very good at cooking and she likes to take her time to bring out the flavor."

He slammed his hand on the counter, "I don't care! I want my food so I can go home. I've been working hard at work all day!"

I almost laughed. He thinks that fishing is that hard of a job when you have multiple fishermen and nets and on populated water? He doesn't have to work to the bone to get a job done. All he needs is patience but obviously, he doesn't have that.

My boss quickly nodded, "Yes I understand," then she turned around facing me, "Little flame hurry up!"

I was beginning to get irritated, "His food is almost ready and don't call me little flame. My name is-"

She cut me off mid-sentence, "It doesn't matter what your name is, just finish his order."

'You know what, forget it! If he wants his food now he can have it! If it's undercooked that on him! I hope you choke on it!' I quickly got the meat out of the oven and placed it on the counter. I quickly got my knife and chopped it down to pieces. After that I got a container and slid the meat inside and gave it to this rude man, "Your food is done, please pay upfront so I can hand it to you."

He got angry and slammed the money on the counter and snatched the container out of my hand then he started to walk away.

I was very upset that he snatched it from me but I needed to count the money to make sure he pays in full. As I was counting I realized that he did pay the full price but something was missing. I yell across the room, "Hey! Where's my tip!"

He stops walking and turns around to give me a very angry look, "I only tip women that are respectful to men. You are not one of those women so I gave you nothing."

The moment he turned towards the door I quickly grabbed the knife I used to cut the meat and was aiming to throw it at him but before I tried to throw it my boss grabbed my wrist and we looked at each and she gave me a very disappointed look. The man walked out of the restaurant and a few minutes later so did everyone else. It was getting late and we were about to close the shop. I was putting up all the tools and utensils that we used for today but my boss tried to get my attention, "You know I can't have you constantly arguing with my customers even if they're in the wrong."

I was putting up the last utensils and grabbed the broom to sweep the floor, "Most of your customers are idiots with no patience. If they want an undercooked meal then that on them but calling me disrespectful only made me see red. Respect is a two-way deal, you show respect to others, they respect you back."

"I do agree but that doesn't give you a right to try to kill one of them. And even if you weren't trying to kill him it would have made me look bad if one of my employers threw a knife at a customer."

I stop sweeping the floor, "So what now are you going to let me go?"

She nodded her head, "No, you are one of the reasons why my business is booming right now. You can really cook and tenderize meat to bring out its flavor so I still need you. But I can't have you arguing with customers again so consider this a warning."

"Yeah, yeah whatever after I'm done sweeping the floor can I get my pay for today?"

She sighed, "Only worried about the money? Yeah, I guess that is more like you huh? Yeah, I give you your pay just finished cleaning up alright."

I swept whatever pile I made from the crumbs and trash of the people who were here today and dumped it in a trash bin, "Yes I know have I ever disappointed?"

She slightly laughs and when towards the back inside of her room. Sometimes I do forget that she lives here but I believe it's because she can't afford this place and a house at the same time so she just decided to live in this place where she can make the most money.

I looked around at the mess that these idiot's left. Why is it so hard for people to pick up after themselves I will never understand other than the fact that they're just lazy.

I walked around and grabbed the trash bin to clean up after the customers that were here all day. After a while, I finally got the last piece and placed the trash near the entrance so I could take it out towards the back whenever I leave. I went to the front counter to wait for my boss to get back.

After some time she came back with a small bag with coins inside, "This is your pay for today. I don't understand why you can't wait until the end of the week you'll get more."

I took the bag and placed it on my belt, "You know exactly why. I can't afford to miss a payment on my house and I'll never know when the landlord is going to pop up and say 'give me rent' I personally prefer to be safe than sorry."

"I think I understand, you just want to prolong your stay at your parent's house so you don't have to move in with that boy right?"

I didn't say anything but she noticed my facial expression and looked down towards my hands and then asked, "How long do you have? I am not trying to upset you but I want to prepare myself if I need to find a replacement for you since you may not be working here anymore."

I looked at the Abomination with my finger that that bastard gave me, "Around 2 weeks, he wants everyone in the village to know. Right now it's been tough for me so yeah I'm trying to prolong this, no one else is going to help me."

She was confused, "What do you mean?"

I took a deep breath trying to compose myself before saying, "No one is going to help me when it comes to this situation. I mean it was either this or banishment and as much as I would choose banishment then the alternative option I have nowhere to go. Both my parents died in that coup a few years ago and my grandfather just recently died. I have nothing, just my parent's house, this job and you, my boss that is willing to listen."

She looked towards the floor, "Oh, right that coup that was just all over the place but I'm glad that our old leader is dead. Using all of our wealth just for himself but our replacement isn't all too good either just better at our funds and trading. I understand that you are not ready for a commitment like that with a guy like Valea."

"Please don't mention his name in front of me. I hate being constantly reminded of him."

She then got closer to me and said, "look I completely understand what you're going through, I myself was going through something similar when I was around your age. You feel like this way of life is unfair which if we're both being honest it is for women. Our forefather's culture integrated into our laws, at first the man believed that the women with this would be a burden on the battlefield with them so they banned us from helping when it came to the great war. And that battle ended around the time my great-grandfather was around my age but we lost and it cost us the majority of our population and we had to move to another side of the world. That's how we ended up on this island right here."

'Great a history lesson just what I needed.'

She continues, "The laws that wanted us to not be involved in the war have changed because of our population issue so they changed it to where us women are required to marry someone around the age of 20 and have children with them before we turn 25. But just like the old laws we weren't allowed to do anything I could jeopardize population we can have hard-working jobs that pays decently, we can't get off the island no matter the situation unless all of us are moving to a different Island and we have to follow the law to the letter otherwise we are...outed."

"Why are you telling me this?" I asked.

"Because I want you to follow my example when I got married I didn't like my husband at first but then I grew to like him and we had a daughter together. But just like your parents, my husband died in that coup as well. I had nothing but my daughter and my home. But after a few months, I decided that I wanted to create this place so that people could eat, drink and relax after a hard day of labor. It wasn't easy, I had to do some stuff that I wasn't proud of doing to get to the position that I am right now. Something tells me if I were a man this place will be booming even more than what it is. But I make enough to get by enough to give some to my daughter as well if she needs it. So what I'm trying to say is your situation may look bad now but it can get better."

I was starting to get frustrated because she had no idea what she was talking about, she had no idea how different my situation is compared to hers so I told her, "Now I want you to think about our situation, the scenarios are the same but the situation is different. You didn't know the man you had to marry and it turns out that he was very nice and kind but the person I have to be with is Valea, a person I knew since we were kids that always had a fixation out on me for some odd reason that I don't understand to this day. Valea the son of the person who ordered the coup in the first place that got my parents killed and is now the chief of this place who is ordering me to marry his son because he asked like I'm some sort of object for him to have!"

"Hold on I didn't mean it like that Kin-"

I cut her off, "And another thing, this place was your dream to own a restaurant for these fools to eat in. Your dream was reachable although it was probably very hard for you to get in the position that you are right now but as for me my dream it's blasphemous to our so-called culture. I wanted to be a warrior to protect the innocent and our way of life, but now that I'm grown and see this island for the way it is I hope one day that this way of life is destroyed and we can start over again from scratch. Talking like this will just get me executed so what is the point anymore? All I asked if you not to compare your life to mine. Your path is different from mine and I have to accept what is instead of what can be which is my freedom which I don't have but you have more freedom than what I have right now."

She didn't say anything she just looked towards the ground then all around the restaurant reminding herself what she had to do to get to where she is now.

I looked away from her and started to walk towards the exit, "It's getting late and I have to workout and train in the woods. I'll see you in the morning Mimita."

As I was walking out I heard her call my name, "Kindle, I'm sorry."

I only waved back but I didn't look at her as I quickly grabbed the trash and threw it on the side and walked home before Valea could look for me. My house would be the second place he'll look and the forest would be the 3rd.

I quickly made it home and I quickly undressed myself and put on my uniform I put on for trading with the shirt that my mother stitch for me and the shoulder pads that were on my father's the night he was murdered with my ax he gave me for my birthday and the shield he used to block incoming attacks. He and my mother were the only people who believed in me to change our nation and to be the first woman warrior of our tribe.

But I failed them. I just hope that they forgive me for not meeting their expectations.

I quickly ran outside towards the forest and tried to find my training spot, it was down the hill closer to the field of flowers on the cliffside.

After a few minutes of running, I found it. No one should be in the forest this deep unless they're looking for someone. I grab my ax and prepare to swing towards the tree. I hit the tree and my ax was closed halfway through. So it would take me close to 3 swings to cut the tree completely off horizontally, unfortunately, I can't do that otherwise I'll be attracting unwanted attention if the tree comes trampling down.

As I was chopping the tree vertically I was thinking back during the time I was doing this with that dragon. To this day I can never understand how or why that dragon was so smart. It could understand my words, it tried to protect me and it showed me how to properly swing an ax which I don't understand how he knew how to do that. I just always assumed that it saw people doing it and he compared to the way I was doing and corrected me and taught me how to do it either that or he's been in a few battles and noticed how people swing their axes towards him. Either way that Dragon took the time to teach me and what he taught me was the correct way to do it."

At that moment I stopped mid-swing to remember the last day we'd met. 'I remember after we were nearly caught he flew towards me towards the field of flowers and tried to explain himself by drawing on the ground and doing charades took me a while to understand what he was trying to say but I got the message eventually. It was too dangerous to be together, he would be killed and I'll be banished. It was hard because I didn't want him to leave but it was for both of our safety. But before he left he was hesitating to fly off, he just kept opening his wings and looking back at me for several moments until he walked up next to me and...'

...Snap...

I turned around to hear a twig snapped in the background, someone was here in the forest coming this way.

The moment I thought who it was I immediately placed my ax on my back and climbed the tree I was practicing on. Once I made it close to the top I saw who it was and it didn't surprise me. I'm just glad I hear him just in time. Well not only him but his followers to get on his good side.

The man I was supposed to marry Valea was under the tree where I was at, looking around to see any signs to see if I was here.

He looked at the slash markings on the tree and turned around towards his supposed friends with more followers and said, "She was here recently split up and tried to find her. She owns me an explanation for why she's been avoiding me for the past couple of days."

"Yes, Valea we'll try to find her."

They are all scattered like the roaches they are but Valea stays and walks away from the tree while talking to himself, "Why is she avoiding me? I promise when we get married I swear she won't have time to be running around like this. My family is the richest on this island. I can give her whatever she wants yet she still tries to avoid me, that female..."

He quickly ran off into the distance deep within the forest.

I however just stayed at the top of the tree for several minutes thinking to myself, 'He wonders why I try to avoid him. This boy is 20 years old yet ever since we were little he always tries to get my attention but he was just too different. Something was just off about him. And now it's like he has a fixation on me. He always talks down to me yet he wants to be with me. I don't know what it is but I try my best to avoid him until the day my life completely changes which is close to two and a half weeks. Until then I'm going to try my best to avoid him, these are my last days of freedom and he's already abusive the last time I've seen him he hit me.'

After a while, I climbed down from the tree, once I did I looked down at the palms of my hand and said the many calluses on my fingers. It is because of these I don't feel much pain when I climb or swing my ax but they do get in the way sometimes, I can barely make a fist. But because of Valea and what he said to me they make me feel ugly or not worthy of love. A woman's touch should be light and gentle not hard as stone is what he told me among other things.

I tried to forget about my calluses and worried about getting home without getting caught. I looked back towards the forest and quickly ran back home.

After running back up the hill I made it towards my house. I went around towards the back door and unlocked it once I'd looked around to see if anyone was around. I didn't see anything so I quickly ran inside and locked the door behind me. Inside my house was cool so I grabbed my two spark rocks and went next to the fireplace. After a few attempts, I made a spark and watched to see if the flame got bigger I went back towards the other room to grab some firewood and place it within the small fire. A few minutes go by and the fire is big enough I sit down next to it to warm myself up and place that boy's wedding ring on the table.

Above the fireplace was my father's sword he used to protect whoever hired him or used it to stop criminals within our village. I wanted to be a warrior just like him. He was respected among our community. I remember when he told me why he gave me my name. He told me that he knew that I was the one to make a change, something small that would be the start of something much bigger. Kindle that is why he named me like this.

I then laid down on my bed in the other room once the fire began to die down. I covered myself in my mother's cover that she made and looked towards the window and saw the many stars in the sky. "I miss that dragon, he would take me high above the sky to the point where I could touch the clouds. I somewhat do envy him through, he has the ability to go anywhere he wants in the world. Sometimes I wish I could do the same. But that dragon...it's been so long I doubt he even remembers me.

But then I remember, that dragon kissed me on my cheek before it left the island. Perhaps it was trying to copy me when I kissed it on its snout but there was something different about him. He had licked me before out of playfulness but that kiss on my cheek felt... genuine almost. I wonder what was going through his head?

I guess I'll never find out. I need to sleep before it gets too late.

* * *

_**I am very sorry for the long delay. My life has been crazy and so has the lives of my Beta readers. I've just been trying to get organized again but as you probably already know school is back around the corner but I got some good news-bad news and good news again but I might as well start with the bad news first. When school comes around I have to prioritize above everything this is my education and my life. I cannot afford to slack off so I will put my education first before this story so again updates might be a bit slow. Also, some of my Beta readers have been affected, some of them I've slowed down but are still trying to help me others are too busy you cannot help anymore which I'm saddened by but it is what it is.**_

_**Good news is all of my classes are online so I will have more time to finish my work at home then I do at school. I believe I work faster at home than I do at school because of my type of education going into (media and Design) some of the classes don't need us to actually be there so I'm good until January. And because I'm working from home I believe I can get these chapters done a lot faster after I'm done with the work compared to last year.**_

_**Even more good news, at this point in the story where I'm at I believe I have four more chapters to write before this story has concluded and then after that, I am going to be working on the prequel of this story. Keep in mind I said the point where I am at is chapter 26 and I believe the story is going to end on chapter 30. I still need to think of a way to end the story but I have a few general ideas to make it satisfying but the same time making a reader want more from the story, so please bear with me just for a bit longer. Again I do apologize for the long delay but please understand that life can get a little crazy and certain priorities need to be on top of another for me to function.**_

_**Oh and also chapter 26 is going to be my longest chapter I think I'm going to write in the story thus far. I did this because at the beginning of chapter 27 the idea of the theme didn't fit well within the chapter so I moved the beginning portion of chapter 27 towards the end of chapter 26. But it's not done but it's over 19,000 words long already so possibly when I'm done with the chapter it's going to be around close to 22 to 25,000 words.**_

_**As I stated before or after the prequel is done I might move off this site and try out my next story as a comic but I need to test the waters first before I even dream about building that boat. (is that a phrase? Probably not but you get the gesture of what I'm trying to say.)**_

_**Anyway I'm sorry for the delay. I have no dreams of canceling any of my stories because once I start something I just have to finish it if I don't it would just bother me every day, plus I put too much thought into the story and the prequel. Be safe out there folks and I'll see you during the next chapter which should be coming soon with a special bonus with it a link possibly on fanfiction and an image on Wattpad.**_


	31. Chapter 24 Reunited

**Special Thanks to _Ferith12_ for helping with grammar and fixing some of the words in this chapter, and _Lala2003 _for fixing the first half of this chapter.**

* * *

**Ronde**

Travelling with part of my family and the Dragon Riders had been alright so far. It'd been around five days since we left Berk and we were long past the island we had rested at for a day of peace, and —if I had to make an estimate— I would say we were a day away, maybe two, from my home, Afri. I was almost nervous to return, but I was also excited to see how much it had changed. I had been in dragon form for the past six days, ever since we'd left, and I believed my mother and my mentor were getting used to the idea of me being one, but I didn't know if I should tell them about me slowly becoming a dragon permanently as I got older.

It was very early in the morning, everyone was packing up in preparation for our flight over to the next island. Fishlegs was taking notes about the area we were currently in, I assume that this was new territory for them; they might need to add some areas to their map so they wouldn't get lost if they ever went this far out again.

As we were gathering the last of our supplies, we checked my map and my mother's guide to see where we should stop next. But as we were looking, my mother realized something.

My mother then exclaimed, "Oh no, there is only one island left that isn't inhabited by our enemy's and colonizers. But I don't know if this island has been claimed by anyone. If we're not careful we could be in trouble."

Hiccup looked at the map that my mother was carrying and it seemed like he was measuring the distance between where we were, the island that my mother was talking about, and my home. After he finished concentrating, he said out loud, "If it's too much he could just fly straight to your home from here."

My mother shook her head. "No, that is too long of a distance, we'll be flying until tomorrow afternoon just to reach my home. And I don't want to put your dragons in those conditions. Plus I have to make sure that none of you are attacked while your in our tribes."

Everyone except for me and my mentor was surprised to hear that statement, but then Hiccup asked, "Why would we be attacked?"

My mother looked away from him nervously. "My tribe isn't used to people from the outside coming into our homes, especially ones with your… background. Even Unitatis had a hard time the first time he came, he was almost decapitated just because someone thought that he was a colonizer."

_Unitatis is that guy who held the day of peace meeting? When did he come to my home?_ I thought.

My mother saw how the other Dragon Riders were shocked and tried to assure them, "Don't worry, I just have to make a public announcement that you're just visitors and maybe get you all new clothes while I'm at it…"

That was my mother for you; always worried about other people's appearance if it affected her image. Since she knew that they were going to represent her, she also knew that they needed to change their clothing because to her they look like rags.

But I'm getting off track. I need to focus on the area we are in right now. I should know a few islands around this area where we could stay on.

I walked in front of them and sat upright, "Hey, may I see the map? I do know a few places around this area."

My mother nodded and opened the map even farther and placed it on the ground for me to see. She pointed at the area that we were and the island between here and my home. I looked around and I did see some of the islands that she was talking about that could have been claimed by people outside of our nation. But there was one island that was close to my home that caught my attention.

My mother noticed my facial expression and asked, "Ronde? Are you ok? Why do you look like that, do you have an idea for which island we can rest on?"

I was just focusing on the island on the map, that island had to be one. It was the closest to my home and there might've been a chance that they were there. I looked over to my mother and used my claw to point towards the map. "Here… we will go here."

My mother looked at where I was pointing at and was confused. "I don't think so, that's the island where we used to hunt for food, but we stopped going back there because of the dragons and it wasn't worth the trouble, but I'm sure that our enemies have claimed that island for their own by now."

I shook my head. "No, I made sure that people knew that place was our island. It's still safe so we can go there."

She was confused. "You made sure? What are you talking about?"

I was beginning to get impatient, "Please let's just go, I promise you that it's safe. I'll explain more when I get there but this is the only island that I know that is safe in this area."

They all stared at me as if I was going crazy, but I needed to go to this island and the best part was it wasn't going out of our way. If we got there, it would only take a day at the most to get to my home and I have the perfect place for all of us to sleep. But more than that, it would allow me to see them again, I just hoped that they were still there.

My mother walked close to me and placed her hand on my knee. She looked up to me and said, "If you believe it is safe then please lead the way, my son."

I smiled, then lowered my body so she could climb on my back. Once she did I looked back towards the others. "If we're quick enough, we can make it before the afternoon so please let's get moving."

They all finished gathering their stuff and climbed on their dragons and then we all flew off the island.

My heart was aching, I didn't know if it was guilt or because I was excited to see them again. But I just hoped that everyone was still there.

Several hours passed and I saw the island in the distance. After all this time, it still looked beautiful. The lush green forest, the hills and mountains with the waterfall cascading from the peak, and the beach with the water washing across the sand; this was my home after I'd run away. I needed to guide the others towards the waterfall and tried to be careful when approaching this island, if we were caught, they might be endangered.

I looked over towards the group and said, "Follow me and don't make too much noise."

We slowly approached the island towards the mountains where the waterfall was. The smell of freshwater had entered my nose, but then there was another scent that made me a little bit worried. There was a dragon here not too long ago, no perhaps there was another one with it. But it was still early. I should've had time to get it out of the waterfall.

We landed near the waterfall, next to a stream of rushing water. I lowered myself to the ground so that my mother could get off of me. The others landed next to us, once they did, I saw them already unpacking their tents and other items.

I tried to whisper, "No, there is no need for those. I know the perfect place for us to all stay and sleep."

Snotlout said loudly, "Oh yeah? Where is that dragon boy?"

I shushed him and tried to tell the others to keep their voices down. "Please just wait here and don't do anything."

I turned around towards the waterfall and walked away from the others to give myself some space. Once I did, I flew straight inside of the waterfall. Behind it was a massive cave, just as I remembered. There was barely any light, the only source of it was from the ricochet of sunlight across the water, but with my vision, I could make out the lines of my environment. But lo and behold, there it was, just as I left it. I couldn't wait to see the looks on their faces.

**Neurie**

_My son just flew inside of that waterfall without any hesitation, is he crazy? Why would he do that?_ I wondered.

But suddenly, I heard a noise coming from the area he just flew into, almost like an echo of some sort. The ground began to vibrate just a little before I saw my son slowly coming out from the waterfall. But something isn't right, he's flying but not going anywhere. After a few seconds, I noticed that he was pulling on something but was slightly struggling to get it out from behind the waterfall.

When he finally got most of his body out, I noticed the object that he was pulling on was coming out more and more, I believe it was because of the stream that made it easier to pull it out.

That was when I saw part of what he was pushing out and I couldn't believe what I was seeing. I even heard Skild said, "What the...? Why is that here I thought it was lost!?"

My son was pulling out one of our old warships and it looks to be in a good condition just with moss and algae at the bottom. But why was that ship even here? I was told that one of our ships was washed away to sea when one of the ropes holding it snapped, but it seemed unlikely that the current would bring it here..

Once the ship had completely come out from the waterfall, Ronde quickly flew towards the back of the ship and did something to release the anchor. It landed in the water with a loud splash and began to slow down the ship. Once the ship had completely stopped in front of us, Ronde flew down and landed. He looked back at the ship and then towards us and said, "This is where we're staying tonight. It has plenty of room for all of us and our dragons."

I walked closer to him completely confused, "How did you acquire the ship? I was told that a strong current snapped the rope that was holding it and the ship sailed away."

I noticed that he was slightly scared and refused to look at me while twiddling his hands together. "Oh, uh...well...I...kind of...stole it."

I didn't even know why I was surprised, he had had a habit of going off on his own and taking the boat to sail towards another one of our tribes within my kingdom. Still, this was going too far. I tried to hide my anger, "You stole one of our warships? Why would you steal one of our own warships!? "

He looked scared, not because of me but of something else. He looked around the forest and then down to me. "Mother, please lower your voice. I thought you said you've read my book. If I haven't, I stole it because I didn't know how to fly and this ship was the only one that wasn't completely guarded and then snapped the rope with my claws and sailed all the way here."

I was Bewildered because I thought he could, "I saw you fly out your window."

He sighed and looked slightly away from me, "I have the instincts of a dragon when I'm facing extreme pressure or danger it takes over and I don't recognize things the same way I normally would. My body just has a mind of its own and I'll act more like a feral dragon until I come back to my senses but sometimes I barely remember the events. So after that incident happened I didn't know how to fly."

I felt bad for him, that never even occurred to me. "I'm sorry I didn't think about that."

He had a small smile and waved it off, "It's fine."

The young chief walked on my side facing my son. "Ronde, is this island..."

My son nodded and then responded, "Yes this is the island I ran away towards, where I met my adopted parents."

I was shocked, he was adopted? But there were no people on this island, and this was where he went after he ran away? He was so close to Afri yet it had never crossed my mind to search here. I thought our enemy had claimed this island but I was wrong. It just infuriated me to know he was this close yet I couldn't reach him.

Then I noticed he was looking at me. "Mother if it wasn't for this ship this island and its civilians would have been taken over by our enemies."

"What do you mean?" I asked curiously.

He looked towards the ship, "One day our enemy did try to take over this island while I was here so I had an idea to use this ship. The moment I pulled this out from this waterfall and pointed its weapons towards the invaders they quickly fled and haven't shown up since I was here. They assume that this island was claimed by us."

"And what about the people that you said...took care of you?" I asked.

He leaned closer towards me, he must have notice my discomfort with the idea of someone else taking care of him, "Mother it's ok they were nice to me and-"

Suddenly Ronde stopped talking and looked ahead of us towards the forest. I noticed that his eyes were slits and his hair was standing upright. The look on his face worried me so I called out to him, "Ronde are you ok?"

He didn't respond, or he just chose to ignore me, but he continued looking towards the forest.

Suddenly he flew into the air and landed in the back of our group then he used his left wing to cover himself. That was when I noticed that something fell from the ground next to him, it almost looked like a spike of some sort.

Ronde then roared toward the forest very loudly. Is this what he was talking about? Did he just lose himself again? Seeing him like this is starting to scare me. But it was clear that something just tried to attack us and he was protecting us.

Ronde roared again but this time the sound was different.

Suddenly something came out of the forest. At that moment the dragons from Berk went to Ronde's side and growled at whatever came out of the forest. When I got a clear view I saw two Deadly Nadder's, they both had blue and orange scales but the two were inverted of each other.

Both of the Nadders got closer and growled viciously towards him and the dragons as well but Ronde just stared at the two Nadders.

Suddenly Ronde looks towards the two Nadders very strangely as if something was bothering him. He then warbles something towards the dragons from Berk and they stop growling. Then Ronde looked back towards the two again and warbled something to each of them.

The Nadders stop growling and then look at each other then towards Ronde and one of them takes a few steps forward and warbles at him.

Suddenly Ronde dashed towards the two dragons, one of them flew in the air and the other tackled Ronde and he fell and then the one in the air dive bombed towards him and landed on his chest.

I was horrified, they were overwhelming him and I looked towards the dragon's and they were only watching him getting attacked. I began yelling at them, "What are you doing!? Can't you see he's getting attacked? Go help him!"

Suddenly the chief of Berk grabbed my shoulder. I turned around to face him and he had a smile, "It's ok they're not fighting. What they're doing is more similar with dragons playing with each other."

I looked over and saw that one of the Nadders was nuzzling him and the other was licking his face. Ronde however looked happy with his eyes closed and a grin so big I could see his teeth.

**Ronde**

I couldn't believe they were still here. I thought that they would have left the island to find another dragon to be closer to but they're still here trying to protect this island.

My adopted brother spoke to me while nuzzling me, ("It's been so long, sibling what are you doing here? I thought that you wanted to explore outside of this island.")

My adopted sister stopped licking me and growled at her twin brother, ("Shut up, just be glad that he's here alive and well.") Then she got off of me, ("Wow little one you're not so little anymore. I mean you were slightly bigger than us when you left but wow you're so big. I wonder what should we call you now? The one? Big one? Or do you want me to call you by that name that you said the Scaleless call you? What was it again? Orden?")

I laughed, ("It's Ronde but I don't mind being called Little One either Chatterbox.")

She rolled her eyes and warbled, ("You're still calling me made-up names? What is a Chatterbox?")

("It means you talk too much,") I teased.

But I saw my brother looking back towards the group, ("Speaking of scaleless why are they here? And what are you doing protecting them?") He nearly growled.

I stood up and walked in front of the dragon Riders, mother and mentor. I stretched my left wing and arm to cover them protectively. I stared at my brother afraid of how he would react, and then my very confused sister. ("They are not here to harm any of us. We just needed a place to stay before we could go to the mainlands. I promise they are not a threat, in fact just like the mainland's these...scaleless have become one nest with Kin all around their land.")

My brother and sister looked at each other confusedly then back to me, ("Is that possible? Are they really one nest?")

Before I had a chance respond Toothless and the other dragons returned to my side and growled at them, ("Yes they are one of us!") ("They protect us and we do the same for them.") Both Stormfly and Meatlug growled.

Suddenly they looked over towards Toothless, they almost looked frightened at his presence. Suddenly they walked closer to him and then to my surprise they bowed.

My brother spoke, ("I'm sorry for not recognizing it sooner, you are the new king I can sense it. If these scaleless are with you then they are allowed to stay.")

Then my sister warbled, ("Yes, is there anything that we can do? Like bring you an offering?")

I was surprised to see them like this; they were so submissive towards Toothless. I didn't think they would act like this even if they knew that Toothless was the Alpha.

But Toothless warbled at them to just leave Hiccup and the others alone. My siblings bowed and then walked towards my side. As they were walking to my side my brother whipped his tail on my right side hard and my sister nipped me on my left side. I growled from the pain, ("What the heck was that for?")

My brother was the first one to respond, ("You could have told me that kin is the new king he could have killed us for trying to harm his scaleless nestmates!")

("Yeah what's with that little one?") My sister teased.

Baffled at the thought that Toothless would do something like that I laughed at them to their confusion, ("He would never do something like that to you. He's a very nice Kin so you can calm down.")

My brother rolled his eyes, ("Yeah I'll make sure to tell everyone on this island they're here.")

When he said that I remembered the real reason why I came to this island. My sibling noticed my facial expression. My sister then asked, ("What's wrong? Why do you look like you've seen a dead dragon?")

I tried to ignore that analogy, ("Brother, sister is Sire and Dam here?")

My brother had a small smile but my sister looked sad for some odd reason. She walked closer to me and looked at me with such big eyes, ("I'm sorry brother but we lost them.")

I couldn't believe it. Did they die? When? How? Could I have prevented it?

Before I asked how,my brother tackled my sister much to my confusion. Then he yelled at her, ("Why are you joking with him when it comes to our Sire and Dam? He obviously cares about them!") He looked up at me and said, ("What she means is they are lost to her because she still doesn't have a sense of direction even with our sense of smell. But do not worry they are still alive and taking care of our little siblings.")

I felt my anxiety leave me and I gave my sister a death stare. However, she wasn't fazed and only laughed at me, ("Oh don't you look at me like that. It was funny to see your face like that for old times sake.")

My brother then asked me, ("Tell me brother would you like to see them?")

I smiled but I had to show them something and to do that I needed to bring my mother. ("Yes, I would like nothing more to see them, but could we wait for just a moment before we see them?")

He tilted his head in a confused manner, ("Ok, just don't take too long.")

I quickly walked over towards the group and they all were looking at me weirdly but I tried to switch into my normal voice, "I don't have time to explain but know that those two are my adopted siblings and they're about to take me to see my adopted parents. I'll be back in a few hours, maybe sooner maybe later depending on how they react."

Hiccup tried to get my attention by waving his hands and said, "That's fine but what about us? What should we do in the meantime?"

I looked over towards my mentor and pointed at my ship, "Master you've been in one of these before right?"

He nodded, "Yes, I even was the captain of one of these types of warships back in the day."

"There is enough room for an entire village in there even if it is cramped, please if you could show the others around in that ship. This is where we're going to sleep tonight."

"I see, ok that a good idea." He said looking at me. Then he faced the others, "Come you all I need to see if this ship has the same layout as the ones we built back home then I can show you your rooms."

I said this both physically and with my mind to say, "However I need my mother and Thunder to come with me."

In unison my mother and Thunder yelled, "Why!?"

"I just need you to come with me please. And mother please bring your bag with the blanket inside."

My mother just sighed and came to my side. I lowered myself so she could climb on my back. But Thunder was irritated, ("I flew for a quarter of a sun cycle just for this? Agh! After this partner you own me more food and scratches on my neck! I REALLY LIKE THOSE SCRATCHES!")

I slightly backed away from her, she scares me when she gets like this. The electricity cracking over her body lets me know that she is deadly serious, ("Ok, just calm down ok. We're almost home and I'm sure that we can find you the most delicious food and possibly a mate.")

The electricity dialed down and it looked like she had calmed down. She began walking towards us and said, ("You had better my partner or I'll shock you.") She teased.

Wait a second was she faking that so I would give her more stuff? And why is she teasing me?

She walked on ahead towards my sibling and looked at my brother but then quickly looked away. Is she shy or does she not see my brother worthy enough as a potential mate?

My thoughts were interrupted when my brother roared, ("Hey we don't have all of the sun cycle little one, we must protect this island from outside forces but we are taking a break to make sure you see our Sire and Dam so please let's get moving!")

I was slightly embarrassed and fumbled over my words. ("R-right sorry.")

I went towards their side and we all walked together towards the forest. They went ahead guiding me and Thunder on a path that would lead us to my adopted parent's cave. I was very excited, it's been close to 5 years but I'm going to see them again after all this time. But at the same time I'm terrified because what I'm about to do in front of them and I'm bringing my actual mother to see them. My adopted father hates humans, so the idea of one of his own turning into one, It just scares me how he's going to react.

Suddenly my mother patted my back to get my attention. I turned around to see if she needed anything and she whispered, "Ronde why did you want me to come with you?"

I quickly looked over to see if my siblings were listening to our conversation but they were chatting with each other. So I turned around to face her and whispered, "I want you to see who raised me, you have a right to see them."

She looked quite sad, "Oh right you're were adopted here and...you consider those two dragons as your siblings..."

I nodded, "Yes, I hold them very close to my heart. They were the ones who cared about me, played with me, and helped build my confidence when my adopted parents weren't around. I do love them as if we were related by blood."

There was a moment of silence between us, she looked even more saddened than before. Then she looked on ahead to see my siblings, still chatting then she looked me straight in my eyes and asked, "Ronde, I'm not trying to upset you or anything but...did you replace us? Were we not good enough of a family to you? So you replace us with this dragon family? Do you not consider me your mother anymore?"

When she said that I felt my heart broke in two, she's taking this the wrong way, "Mother I still call you mom, I still consider you as my mother, the person who gave birth to me just like I consider my sisters as my siblings," I sighed trying to get this out, "I still see my father as the man who created me. But when I ran away...I knew you saw what I did to my father and I thought that if you were to see me as a dragon you would be afraid of me. There was a hole in my heart that was longing for something to fill it. My family, you my sisters, grandma, and yes even my father filled that hole. But when I ran away and the thought of my family rejecting me caused that hole to be empty."

I smiled and looked on ahead to see my siblings arguing just like old times, "But mother, when I arrived at this island and met this family of Nadders the hole was slowly began to fill over time. This family loves me and has shown me things that I couldn't see for myself. They even helped me mentally when I was struggling to control my impulses and other scars that were left from what my father did to me. But no mother, I didn't replace you or anyone in my family. They just replaced the hole in my heart when I left you all. I consider this family another in our group that loves to protect me."

She had a small smile, "I think I understand. I'm sorry for saying that Ronde. I couldn't...no I would probably never understand what you've been through unless I was in the same shoes as you. Please forgive me."

I looked back at her, "There's nothing to forgive. Mother as I told you I didn't come back home because I didn't want you to reject me, but look at us now. So please the one that needs to apologize is me."

Suddenly before my mother could respond to my brother called me, ("Hey little one come here I need to talk to you.")

I looked at my mother and as we stared at each other I believe she got the message that I needed to talk to my sibling. She nodded and I quickly got to my brother's side, ("Yes, what do you need?")

He looked up at me and asked, ("It's not what I need, I just have a question. Why are you carrying that two-legged creature on your back?")

Knowing that he was talking about my mother I viciously growled at him. Once I did he took a few steps away from me looking very confused. ("What? Why are you angry at me? I just wanted to ask you that, it's weird seeing one of those things on our backs.")

I went towards his face baring my teeth at him, ("She is not a thing. If you dare call her that again I will personally rip out your tongue brother.")

He was surprised by my reaction and backed away from me, ("I'm sorry but why is...she on your back? No why are you so angry? Just because I asked you that? What is that female two-leg to you if you're threatening me?")

I looked away from him, ("You will soon find out when we see Sire and Dam.")

("But brother you know our Sire doesn't like two legs. If you care about this one you wouldn't have brought her.") My sister warbled.

I looked on ahead, ("I will protect her if it comes to that but I know that he'll be happy to see his whelping all grown up. But if that's, not possible...,Thunder could you take her back towards the others?")

("Yes, I will protect the one you call mother.") She responded.

As I was thanking her my brother asked, ("Moth-er? Why does that sound familiar?")

I laughed nervously, ("Trust me you two will understand everything I'm doing now in time. It may not make sense now but you will see.")

("I hope so because the way I'm looking at it you're looking a little crazy right now,") My sister warbled with a little concern in her voice.

My brother stopped walking and looked around at us, ("We're here, Little one stay here we should surprise them with your presence.")

I looked on ahead and I saw the cave that I lived and was raised in. It was much smaller than I remembered but I could still fit in. That let me know that I've grown a lot.

My brother and sister went on ahead into the cave, it was just me, my mother, and Thunder but I looked over towards Thunder who was very curious about the area we were in. But I needed to remind Thunder once again, ("Thunder please protect my Dam if something goes wrong ok?")

She looked at me and rolled her eyes, ("Yes, yes I know. I just don't understand why you brought her?")

I looked over towards the cave, ("To prove to them that I wasn't lying when I first came to this island. They have a right to know what I really am.")

("A Two-leg that can change into a kin? Yeah I'm sure that they'll love that partner.") She said sarcastically.

I gave her a blank expression and said sarcastically, ("Thank you Thunder for telling me that most spectacularly. I think you help my confidence reach to new levels.")

("Anytime my friend.")

Despite the fact she made me feel worse I looked over towards my mother who felt left out, "Mother once we go inside please stay close to Thunder until I know it's safe."

She looked scared but nodded and held on to one of my back spikes tighter.

Then I saw my brother at the entrance of the cave who was trying to signal us to come inside. Once he did I felt my heart racing just like the time when I was about to tell the others about my past. As I took my first few towards the cave Thunder followed behind looking quite curious about the area, ("Wow this would be the perfect place to live. It's very peaceful with a nice open area.")

I responded to her as I was next to the entrance of the cave, ("You should see the inside, it's quite beautiful in there as well.")

I was next to the cave preparing myself to walk inside but before I did I lowered myself towards the ground and let my mother off my back, "Please stay close to Thunder mother."

She nodded and went to Thunder's side.

I looked inside the cave and took a deep breath before entering and then I exhaled, "It is time to see them.'

I walked inside and the moment I did flashbacks were going through my mind. Every moment I'd spent in this cave I was seeing in a vision. The first time I walked inside of here with Dam, the first night I slept next to her family, the first time I considered calling Dam my mother and when my sibling would play a game similar to hide and seek those days were fun. I looked around the corner within the cave and I saw them right next to my brother looking over in this direction.

My adopted father looked the same, only his orange color on his scales faded slightly. He looked confused and concerned when I peeked around the corner.

My Dam was the same but she kept her blue color but she was looking over in my direction as well with two midsize Nadders near her playing with each other. I believe that it was the two babies I saw when I left. She was confused as well.

My Sire then looked at me and roared to my surprise, ("What are you doing in my cave!? I mark this place as my Home yet you dare come inside!? Do you want me to-")

He stopped roaring when I completely revealed myself from the corner. Both my adopted parents stopped whatever they were doing and walked closer to me. I was somewhat nervous because they were silent as if they were stalking towards me.

They were right in front of me sniffing me then they both took a few steps back and looked at each other. My Dam was the first to look at me. When she did I smiled at her and she looked even more surprised. In a voice I hadn't heard in years she spoke, ("Little one? Is that you?")

I nodded, ("Well I'm not so little anymore as you can see but it's me Dam and Sire.")

My Sire tried to knock me down so he could nuzzle me but was having a hard time because of my size. So I had to pretend that he was knocking me over. I landed on my side as he looked proud of him, ("Your Sire still got it little one just because you're bigger than me doesn't mean that you can overpower me.")

I laughed, ("I wasn't trying to! I just wanted to see you all again and show you guys something.")

("I thought something was wrong when my whelping told me that there was a Kin coming to our cave. But I thought that meant that the kin was going to take our cave.")

As he was nuzzling me he sniffed me and back away and looked past me and saw Thunder, ("Another Kin? And a female at that with a...")

I saw the horns on his head slightly extend in a threatening matter. That was when I noticed he saw my mother next to Thunder, ("A SCALELESS!")

Before he could charge at her I quickly got up and got in his way to his confusion, ("Move Little one! There is a scaleless behind that Kin!")

I continued to block his path and tried to speak, ("Both the Kin and Scaleless are with me please don't harm her.")

He backed away from me, he had a very shocked expression on his face, ("Why would you bring a scaleless here! You know that they're dangerous! They kill our kind all the time!")

("She wouldn't, she has protected our kind for years!") I yelled.

He was confused, ("She? I thought you were talking about the gender of the kin behind you! How is that you know about what this creature is!?")

I tried to repress my urge to growl as he called my mother a creature but it slipped out much to his surprise, ("Did you just growl at me?")

My Dam intervened between us. She knew how upset both of us were. But unlike my Sire just felt indifferent about Humans, she believed that if Dragons left humans alone then they would do the same. But she spoke, ("After 5 season cycles my mate please let him explain himself there must be a reason why he would bring one to our island.")

My Sire was looking back and forth between me and my mother, ("Fine tell me Little one why did you bring...her here? You know how I feel about Scaleless.")

I looked back at my mother who was scared because I believe she thought that I and Sire were fighting. I smiled at her and looked back at my other family, ("The reason I came back to this island was to see you all again. I have missed you all greatly but the reason why this...scaleless is here is that I wanted to introduce my real Dam to you all.")

The room was silent as everyone was staring at my mother. She looked at me with a concerned look but I tried to reassure her that everything was fine with a smile.

But suddenly my brother in the back was laughing and both my sister and Dam looked at me with pity. But what was worse was my Sire looking disappointed and growled at me, ("Not this nonsense again. I thought you grew out of it and accepted that we were you a new family.")

("I have accepted that you all were my new family. I never told you how I felt about my previous family, but I'm telling you the truth now. This is my real Dam, the person who gave birth to me.")

My Sire was still irritated, ("You are a Kin she is a Scaleless she is not related to you. If she is the Dam that you told us of then she is the one who stole your egg and raised you when you were hatched to believe that you were one of them but you are not.")

Before I could respond my Dam walked past me towards my mother. Both my mother and I were scared and Thunder was protecting her but she said out loud, ("I'm not going to harm her I just wanted to get a closer look. If this is the one who you said that raised you then I just want to see something.")

She went closer towards my mother and inspected her top to bottom. My mother did slightly back away from her. After a few moments my Dam went to my Sire's side, ("Little one...she may have been nice to you before you met us, but no matter what you say or what you believe she is not your Dam. You don't even smell anything like her. The only thing you two have in common is your eye color but that is it.")

My brother was still laughing in the background, ("He still believes that he was a Two-leg before he met us!")

My sister slapped him with her tail.

I couldn't take it anymore. I know that they didn't believe me before, they would always put it off to the side or ignore it. But today they would listen, ("I can prove to you after all these years I wasn't lying about my past. And I can prove that this scaleless is my birth Dam.")

That got everyone's attention, my brother stopped laughing and looked over at me curiously as did my sister and Dam. But Sire just sighed and said sarcastically, ("Really now? How are you going to prove that female scaleless is your Dam? Did you bring your Sire? Is he a Kin that mated with this scaleless?")

("No, my Sire is also a scaleless...a ruthless one at that. But I can prove it as long as you promise not to hurt her or me Sire.")

He was somewhat confused when I said that, ("You're starting to irritate me so I will hold no guarantee for your safety but as long as that scaleless doesn't do anything threatening I and the other's will not harm her.")

I smile nervously, ("She's just going to give me something then I'll prove to you all that I'm not crazy.")

Thunder then interjected, ("You are crazy but your not a liar.")

("Not now please just let me do this ok?") I whispered to her.

("Tell me little how are you going to make her give you something?") Sire asked.

I face him and said, ("I'm not going to make her I'm going to ask her if she could.")

("How? Scaleless cannot understand us.")

("I can speak scaleless or what we call the human language.") I said.

My Sire only sighed again, ("That not possible we kin cannot communicate with scaleless.")

I looked at him for just a moment then turned around to see my mother, "Hey mother."

She peeks out from behind Thunder, "Yes Ronde? Is it safe for me to come out?"

I nodded, "They promise that they would not harm you. But could you do me a favor and hand me a cover in your bag?"

"Yeah sure."

My Sire and Dam were confused that I and my mother were communicating. They were even more surprised when she handed me the cover but my Sire spoke out, ("Ok I was wrong about not being able to talk to them I thought that was impossible but that doesn't prove that she is your Dam. It just proves that you spend a lot of time trying to learn how to talk to one of them.")

I nodded my head, ("That wasn't to prove that she was my Dam. You've known for a long time that I could understand scaleless when those trespassers came to our island. But it was to show that she truly trusts and loves me to come near her son next to a family of Kin's that will rip her apart if she makes a wrong move. But Sire, Dam, brother and sister, and little ones this will prove that I was telling the truth all those years ago.")

I slowly changed back to my human self yet just like the other times it was painful. I couldn't hold in a yelp or grunting. My eyes were closed but I could hear everyone gasped at me.

Once the change was complete I fell on the ground naked but my mother went next to me and covered me with the blanket she handed over to me. But I only used it to cover the lower half of my body. I tried to get up but Thunder and my mother went to my side and helped me. Thunder was a little worried about me, ("Are you ok? That the second time I've seen you do that yet you look like your in a lot of pain.")

I looked over at my mother and Thunder, "The pain will die down in a few moments but thank you both for helping me."

Before either could have responded Sire and Dam were closed to us confused and shocked. Neither of them said a word then just got closer to me and sniffed me. Once they had my scent they took a few steps back and looked at each. Unable to comprehend what they just witnessed they continued to look at me and each other until my Dam broke the silence, ("You-you...Little one is that really you?")

I looked at both my mother and Thunder. They knew what to do and let go of me so I could walk towards them. I was struggling to walk but I managed to get in front of her and smile.

She was surprised when I put my hand out in front of her. She looked at me and then my hand, she hesitated at first but allowed me to touch her. In the moment of contact I managed to connect our minds, "Yes it is me Dam."

She was surprised to hear both my voice in her head and out of my mouth, ("Little one...")

I tried to talk again, "This is the only way I can talk to you while I'm like this. And this was the only way to prove to you all that I wasn't crazy or lying about my past when I first arrived here. Now you know why I was so frustrated and angry when you all didn't believe me in the beginning."

Dam actually lowered herself on the ground to wrap herself around me but this was her way to hug me, ("Little one...I'm so sorry, I won't blame you if you hated me for not believing you. It must have been hard for you when you were living with us. Knowing that you were telling the truth when no one believed you yet you thought of me as your Dam yet I was making it so hard for you. Please forgive me.")

I wrap my arms around her neck, "it's ok, Dam tell Sire to come here so I can talk to you both at the same time.

She called over Sire but then he wouldn't move from his spot he was standing at, he was just staring at me. But when Dam yelled at him he slowly approached us but when he got close he didn't even look in my direction. I place my hand around his chin, "So you're mad at me for showing you the truth, Sire?"

I felt him stiffen when he heard my voice in his head but he still didn't do anything, he still refused to look at me. I was starting to be frustrated, "Are you not going to look at me because I'm like this? After all those weeks of telling you that I was a scaleless you didn't believe me and now that I'm showing you that I was telling the truth you refuse to look at me?"

I could feel him getting angry but I couldn't hear his thoughts for some odd reason. "Do you not consider me one of your own anymore? Do I disappoint you? Do you see me as the little kin you raised?"

("I DON'T KNOW!")

Both me and Dam backed away from him, ("I don't know what to think right now! I'm upset with myself because you were telling me the truth yet I made it harder for you. But knowing that you are a scaleless I don't know how to feel!")

"Sire."

("They killed my siblings my Sire and Dam and I had to watch it happen without being able to do anything. When I found a mate and started my own family I promised that I would make sure that they wouldn't go through the same thing as me. But when the scaleless destroyed our nest and killed our queen all of our kin were free but most of them foolishly decided to go back to the scaleless lands yet those that were smart came to this island. We were at peace for 5 season cycles then you came along. A hatchling claiming to be a scaleless.")

I looked down at the ground unable to say anything. Even if I could he couldn't understand me because I needed to touch him.

("You were strange, yet I thought that was because you lived your entire life with scaleless. But you were very intelligent for a Kin you're age. And after a while of being together I did consider you as one of my offspring even though you did not come from me. But now I just don't know how to feel. I don't hate you but...I don't know how to feel about you.")

I still couldn't change back. I wanted to talk to him as a dragon to make him more comfortable but my body still needed time to recover. I decided to walk closer to him and place my hand on his chin, "If that's how you feel then I can't stop you. if you no longer see me as one of your own...then that's the way it has to be. But know this I still consider you my Sire, you helped me grow into a better person. You helped me get over my issues over my home. Even if you didn't I still feel warm when I'm around you, Dam and your offspring and it makes me happy to see you all."

I put my arm down from his chin and when I did we stared at each other for just a moment. But when it passed he looked away from me. I just turned around towards my mother and walked next to her. She didn't say anything but placed her hand over my shoulder. I looked back at my other family. Dam was next to Sire talking to him while looking back and forth between him and me. My sibling looked like they wanted to say something but stood their ground.

But my mother, Thunder, and I just walked outside of the cave. I felt like I was just disowned by Sire for telling the truth. I wanted to cry but I was looking at the positive. I still had my mother and the others to support me.

My mother must had noticed my facial expression because she leaned down to held my sholder, "You ok son?"

I nodded, "Yeah I think so. Let's get back to the others and figure out what we should do next."

As I was about to tell Thunder to take us to the ship something tackled me on my side and I fell on the ground. When I looked up to see what had hit me to my surprise it was my Sire who was nuzzling me.

I tried to get up because he held me down to the ground, that was when I felt his sadness, ("Little one please forgive me. My hatred for scaleless has made me blind to see you for what you are. You are my Kin no matter what you look like or what you are, you make me feel warm. You are my offspring.")

He was beginning to smother me so I tried to push him off. He was confused until I wasn't breathing as much so he released me. "My skin is not as hard as scales so you could have crushed me! But thank you Sire I thought that you didn't want to see me anymore."

He got closer to me, ("It wasn't that, you will always be close to me but all of this was just too much for me. And I felt guilty for making things harder for you. You told me all those stories about you being scaleless just made me angry and sad. But now I knew it was all true it just made me angry and I place that anger on this situation can I see now thanks to your Dam that I was wrong.")

I smiled, "I can understand the reason Sire, if scaleless told me that he was a kin I would be skeptical too. That's why when I was younger I decided just to not talk about it anymore I just accepted what was and what can be. But it makes me very happy to know that you can accept me like this."

He nuzzled me again. But after that, my mother was behind me. I felt Sire stiffen just a little bit but didn't do anything. She spoke, "I can assume that you made up?"

I nodded.

She looked at Sire and back behind him at the entrance with Dam and her children. She looked back at me, "Ronde if these are the dragons that raised you could you do me a favor and tell them something for me?"

"Yes I could try, would you like for everyone to hear or just the parents?"

"The parents then you can tell the others." She said.

I then wave my arms to get Dam's attention much to her confusion. She walked over towards me and I placed both my hands on each one of my dragon parents, "My Dam wants to tell you two something but I'll have to translate ok?"

They were both confused but they gave me their attention, I looked back at my mother and nodded. She spoke while I was translating for her, "Tell them that I said thank you for taking care of my son and I apologize if I have caused them any trouble. Please also tell them that our people have accepted dragons into our society and homes if they want to visit you while you are in Afri. The last thing is that our people have done many terrible things to dragons but we are making it up to them. But I apologize for everything that has happened between our groups," when I was done translating to my and everyone else's surprised she bowed to them.

I didn't think she would do that to a dragon.

All of a sudden my Sire walked in front of her. I was scared but my Dam had something of a smile on her face. My mother was slightly scared but then Sire lower himself towards her and nuzzled her. (Well more like rub his face against hers once but it still shocks me that he did that.)

When he finished he walked away from her, ("You're lucky your my Little one's Dam and have respect for us otherwise I wouldn't have done that.")

I walked towards her and she was a little happier than she was a moment ago, "That Dragon did scare me but he seems nice if you're on his good side."

I laughed, "More than you know but he's a good father."

When I said that her smile somewhat got smaller, "Ronde...maybe you should stay here for another few hours."

I was completely shocked that she told me, "Why don't you want us to go back together?"

"Yes I do, but this could be your last time seeing this family for a while. You and I can spend plenty of time together when we get home, maybe even more time if you decide to stay. But you won't see this family unless you're free, plus you told me it has been a while since you've seen them. I can wait until you come back ok, so just spend some time with them then come back when you're ready. But don't be too late."

I hugged her, "Thank you mom, I'll be back soon. I'll tell Thunder to drop you off."

She hugged me back and kissed me on my forehead. I told Thunder to drop off my mom on my ship and she told me that she would be back after she was done. They flew off towards the forest.

Sire and Dam looked confused until I told them what was going on. I also told them that I would change back into a dragon in a few minutes then tell them what had happened to me ever since I left this island.

**Thunder**

I don't know why I'm getting stressed over watching my partner explaining himself to his false Sire and Dam. I guess I feel bad for him but this is new for me, caring for someone else, especially a Two-leg. But he's very special, he can understand otherkin and he's helping me find a mate. Throughout these travels I found more potential mates then the last few season cycles but none of them are worth my time. I was thinking about that male spike tail but when he laughed at my partner I wanted to rip his tail off.

I just hope that my partner's home is full of good potential mates and kin for me.

I saw the wooden water walker or what my partner calls a SH-ip and landed on it. Once I did my partner's Dam got off my back and looked around for the others. I believe that they were inside of this thing. But once she finished she said something to me but I couldn't understand everything she said but a few words, "take-care-of-son."

After all those times my partner was talking to me I was listening to what he was saying in my head and what he was speaking. I can understand a few Two-Legs words but I quickly nodded at her and flew off towards the cave where my partner was.

**Ronde**

It had only been a few minutes since my mother and Thunder left. I was a dragon again talking to my Sire and Dam about the 5 years after I left. They were shocked and glad that I was ok.

("Wow little one it is incredible that you're alive and experience so much. And you met a king that taught you how to change back and forth.") My mother said.

("Yes but I recently discovered that he died in a battle and the one who defeated him was also defeated by a kin on this island.")

Both my adopted parent's eyes were wide, ("There's a new king on this island? Why hasn't he made his presence known?") My Sire asked.

("Because we're leaving this island tomorrow plus I believe he will protect those that need it or those within his nest.") I explain.

Before they had a chance to respond Thunder flew within the cave. Once she landed she walked over to my side, ("Your Dam is with the others on your SH-ip.")

I nuzzled her, ("Thank you Thunder I really appreciate it.")

("It is fine.") She responded back.

My Sire made a noise to get our attention, ("So, you...Thunder is what my offspring calls you. What are you to him? Are you his mate?")

I could feel my scales turned into a crimson red when he said that. Why do people think we're together!? I tried to respond, ("She, not my...! We're not-")

I couldn't finish before Thunder cut me off, ("I know that he's a male and I'm a female but we are not mates. I wouldn't dream of mating with him. He's a Two-leg and that wouldn't be very warm. He's my nestmate. I see him as close kin but never as far as that. I do want a mate but your offspring is not the one for me.")

My Sire smiled, ("I like the way you think.")

At that moment I didn't know if I should be happy because she didn't want to become anything more than friends, hurt because she is the first female dragon to reject me or angry at the fact that my Sire was happy about her rejecting me!

("Sire she just said she doesn't want me as a mate yet you're glad about that? Don't you want me to have one?") I asked.

He looks shocked, ("No that is not what I mean. I want you to find one but she knows that you're a Two-leg, our kind should not be together as mates.")

("You're not helping your case Sire. I'm am both kin and Two-leg, yet it still sounds like you don't want me to have a female kin as a mate.")

("That's not what I mean little one!")

I began laughing because I knew what he meant but I was joking the whole time, ("It's fine Sire I know what you mean and I understand. Right now I'm not trying to impress any female kin I, however, I do have...someone...in...mind.")

'I couldn't believe I just noticed now.'

Sire noticed my facial expression, ("Oh no I know that look you are either going to do something crazy or you just got an idea what is it?")

'How the hell could I have forgotten!? Her island is not far from here. I could see her, I could see Kindle again! At my top speed I could be there within 30 minutes.'

("Little one!")

I snapped out of my thoughts and looked over at Sire, ("I'm sorry I was just thinking about something. No need to worry Sire.")

He looks at me very closely to see if I was lying, ("Are you sure everything is ok?")

I nodded once more

("Ok then, please tell us more about your adventures.")

After several minutes of explaining my story to my adopted family we all decided to eat within the cave. Sire had brought plenty of food for everyone however I didn't eat much, I needed to figure out how I can sneak off the island without letting the others know. My best bet was to sleep on the top floor when everyone is asleep.

Once we were done eating I hugged and nuzzled my family. I told them if they wanted to see me I would be at my home at the biggest house there. My Sire looked like he didn't like the idea of coming to a human village but my Dam had considered the idea. After we all said our goodbyes I flew towards my ship. Once I landed I noticed there was food and fish everywhere on my deck. When I went inside to see what happened Fishlegs told me that the other dragons of the island dropped off this food for Toothless. But it looked like everyone was ready to go to bed. If I remember correctly there are about 5 to 6 floors on this ship, there are plenty of rooms for everyone even our dragons and then some. But this is a warship the dragons will have to sleep within cages at the bottom and the others will have to sleep in small rooms.

Fishlegs also told me that there will be a discussion tomorrow about what we're going to do next but he was too tired to explain and walk in his room. There was enough room in the hallway for me to move around if I slightly crawled. But right now I am pretending to be asleep in waiting for everyone else to go inside their rooms.

When I heard snoring from multiple directions within the ship I got up and began walking towards the latch on the ceiling. I tried my best to be as quiet as possible, the latch did make a squeaking noise but it wasn't that loud. I quickly went up towards the deck and stretched my whole body and looked towards the sky.

My best guess is that it's late at night but people still should be up. There should be enough time before her village people go to sleep, it was way darker than this before she had to go home.

I was preparing to take flight until I heard someone behind me.

"Ronde? What are you doing this late?"

I almost screamed because it surprised me that someone was behind me. I turned around to see who it was and to my surprise it was Astrid of all people.

She stared at me, "I saw you move out of the hallway, I thought you were planning on sleeping on top of the ship so I was going to tell you that we had more rooms for you to stay in. But now it looks like you're trying to sneak out. What are you doing?"

I tried to think of an excuse but I soon realized that she could tell if I was lying or not.

"So you are trying to sneak out but for what? I believe we're going back to your home tomorrow. Are you nervous or something?"

I couldn't take it anymore, "Her island is not that far from here."

Astrid was confused, "Who's island?"

"Kindle's island. I just wanted to see her and maybe speak to her as well."

Astrid looked surprised, "Oh, that's why."

I nodded and looked towards the sky, "I'll be back soon maybe sometime in the morning."

"Ronde," I looked at Astrid, "Remember what I told you? You two may know each other, bonded with one another but I just wanted you to know...please don't get your hopes up. A lot of things could have happened since the last time you've seen each other."

I was putting that idea in the back of my mind but hearing it out loud like that made me worried even more. But I need to confirm it myself since I'm this close. I looked down towards Astrid, "I know but since I'm this close it will bother me the rest of my life if I just don't try. I really do like her so this may be my only opportunity to see her before I go back home."

Astrid just nodded, "I understand but please be careful out there."

I smiled, "Trust me I'm always careful."

I waved her goodbye and flew towards the sky. Once I was at a distance from the island I changed my scales' color to match the sky. I should remember Kindle's scent, there was something unique about it like a flower almost. I increased my speed and headed towards Kindle's island

Half an hour later.

I believe I found it! And from this distance I can still see light from torches and candles across the village. This island was almost similar to Berk, the village was small and maybe took up to 15 percent of the island. The rest was just forest and fields of grass and flowers.

I slowly descended towards the island in a very familiar place. This spot was the field of flowers where I met her the second time. This was her favorite spot, maybe I could find her scent here.

I landed on the ground then adjusted my scales' color again to match the environment. If I remember correctly some scouts patrol around this time, I need to be careful. I got on all fours and sniffed around the area. For several moments I didn't get scents that smelled familiar. At this point I was beginning to worry that finding her was going to be more difficult than I thought.

I was about to go towards the forest but near the entrance, I saw footprints and they looked very recent. But I noticed that there were more than one each of different sizes so they couldn't have come from the same source. I leaned down toward them and sniffed them. By what I'm picking up there are at least 5 people, but there was another smell and it rang an alarm in my head it was Kindle's! But something was off as I was looking down towards the prints they were slightly deep as if she was running.

'She might be endangered!'

I quickly ran through the forest while following the footprints. If she endangers me I will protect her but if it is nothing too major I have to stay back and wait.

Just then I stopped running because I heard something in the distance. They were voices.

"Stop! Please! I don't want to go back to the village!"

That was Kindle's voice! I would recognize it anywhere!

I quickly ran towards the direction of the voices. When I got close enough I hid behind some trees when I saw the situation. There was a girl I believed was Kindle in front of a boy and behind him were 3 other boys smirking and slightly laughing at her.

"Please just let me train. It's the only thing I have left to do that isn't controlled by you! Let me have a choice please!" She yelled.

The boy in front of her snickered, "Now why would I let you do that? You can't become a warrior so why bother? All you need to do is to look pretty and satisfy me Kindle, is that so hard? All those calluses over your hands won't help you become a better wife, if anything they make you unattractive."

'What did he just say!? How dare he!"

"Please just let me have this Valea! It's the only thing that I have left!" She pleaded

I wanted to do something, she looked so distraught I've never seen her like this. What has this village's culture done to you?

The boy walked closer until he was in her face and placed his hand on her chin.

The moment he touched her my anger started to boil over.

The boy named Valea laughs in her face, "Kindle, Kindle, Kindle you will be mine in a few weeks and I will not allow you to do anything like this. There is no point in your training when you're not going to do anything. You are a servant to our village, and you will be mine."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. How dare he talk to her like she is some sort of object for him to have!

The next thing that happened didn't shock me as much but it was much faster than I was expecting. Kindle slapped the boy hard across his face and he stumbled back.

Valea looked surprised and held his nose and when he looked down towards his hand he noticed that there was blood. I felt my anger washed away when she stood up for herself.

The other 3 boys were about to go attack her and I prepared myself to intervene whenever they got too close, but then Valea held them back and looked over to Kindle and smiled, "Well now I do like this side of yourself. That fire in your spirit, I like it when it shows."

He walked up towards her and grinned, "Do you know why? It's because I love it when I put the fire out to show you your place!"

I couldn't believe it he slapped her across the face so hard that she fell over.

"You need to know your place Kindle. You are mine whether you like it or not and when it's time I will make sure you won't have any time to train and only spend time with me."

I felt my anger getting a hold of me and I wanted him to pay! I grabbed the tree I was next to and scraped my claws against it and growled very loudly.

The other Boys had heard me, "Hey you heard that? I think there is a wolf or something out there."

"Yeah come on Valea we need to go anyway it's getting late. Leave her, she'll come around eventually realizing there's nothing she can do to change her fate."

The other 3 boys ran but Valea stayed to look at Kindle, "You know I don't like hitting you but someone needs to tell you that you can't change your fate by yourself. This dream of you becoming a warrior is blasphemous. It will never happen for you or any other female on this island. Our clan needs balance and you females are the key to that. But do not stay here I don't want that pretty face of yours to be mauled by wolves, you know where to find me."

He ran off towards the forest. I had an urge to chase him but the sound of crying brought me back into my senses. I looked over to see Kindle crying on the ground. Once I knew that it was just me and her in the area I quickly ran towards her.

When I noticed her clothes, she had on a green skirt with a shield on her back and her pants were a purplish pink made of some sort of fabric that was very noticeable. I couldn't see her face but she had brown hair with long dreads in the front of her hair while the back was completely straight.

But when I went next to her she didn't even look up at me. She was still crying and said, "Go away please..."

She must think that I'm one of those boys, I need to get her attention.

I exhaled through my nose and because of that a slight growled escape. But she slowly looked up at me. I saw her beautiful brown eyes staring at my own. She has grown from the last time I've seen her but I can still recognize that face...her beautiful face.

But the moment was gone she screamed and cautiously backed away from me, "What the hell a dragon!?"

I was surprised that she was scared, I just stared at her while she was back up towards a tree. Maybe it was my size? I did grow a lot since the last time I've seen her.

She just stared at me, waiting for me to do something but I never moved. I was also staring at her. Then her eyes widened, "Wait a minute...it can't be."

She got up from the tree and slowly walked towards me, "Y-You can't be that dragon, you're way too big."

I stood up on my two legs and stared at my stomach. Was she calling me fat? No, duh she is talking about my size.

"No way you are that dragon aren't you? That one I met in the woods?"

I looked at her and I nodded, I didn't want to speak right away, it was just too early.

She wiped away your tears and ran towards me, she was looking for a place to hug but because of my size, it was difficult without it being awkward so I leaned forward and she hugs me around my head. When she did I felt my heart racing of excitement.

Once she was done hugging me she backed away to get a better look, "Wow it's been almost 5 years hasn't it? And you've grown so much. What was your name again? I remember you had a name, you gave me that piece of wood with it on it but my grandfather had to read it for me...oh! It's Ronde isn't it?"

I felt even more excited, she remembered my name even after all these years! I bobbed my head up and down like an excited child.

She began rubbing my face, "It's really good to see you again. I'm surprised you remember me but we did spend those weeks together. Those days were fun," But then she looked up at me with saddened eyes, "You saw those men messing with me didn't you?"

I tried holding back a growl but it slipped and she saw how frustrated I was, "It's ok I'm glad you didn't interfere, they would have told the other villagers of your presence and we wouldn't be having this conversation right now. Or probably you would have just killed them but if I remember correctly you don't like to kill you big softy."

I was a bit embarrassed but I was wondering what I should do now should I talk to her now? No it's still too soon I need to find a way to slowly ease into talking to her; but how?

I had an idea! I slowly leaned down towards the ground, she was confused until I gestured to her to get on my back, "Wait you want me to get on your back? Are we going flying just like old times?"

I nodded and she quickly got on my back and held on to one of my spikes on my back, "Ok, I think I'm good. I'm really whenever you are."

I looked towards the sky and slowly flapped my wings to ascent, 'Ok take this nice and slowly, tried to impress her then say how you truly feel about her."

I adjusted my color to match the sky so just in case someone from her village saw us. We flew away from the village towards the clouds up above. Based on what she's wearing she shouldn't get too cold, I flew even higher to the point where she could touch the clouds, I decided to change my scales color back to normal. When I turned around to see what she was doing she had her right hand out touching the vapor and had a smile on her face, "This is amazing," she said out loud.

Seeing her smile I wonder if I can make it even more amazing, I got it!

I flew even higher above the clouds much to her surprise, "Wait what are you doing?" She asked very concerned.

Out of the mist of clouds was a sight that I haven't seen in a very long time. The dark blue sky is illuminated by thousands of stars. They were not as bright as the ones near Berk in my opinion but that lets me know that I travel far across this world. And to top it all off the moon was fully sharing its light to this sight, this atmosphere is very calming and beautiful.

"Wow this is beautiful Ronde thank you for showing me this," she said amazed while patting my neck..

I looked back at her. She looked so beautiful in the moonlight and happy. Maybe I won't talk to her now. I'll let her enjoy this for a little while longer and when we get back to her island I'll try to find the right moment to speak.

We flew around for the next few minutes. I didn't want to do fancy twirls or any tricks we're just enjoying this calm sight. After a while she patted my back to get my attention, "I think I'm ready to get down now. It's getting a little cold up here."

I nodded and went back towards her island. When we got there I landed near the field of flowers and lowered myself to the ground so she could climb off. Once she did she looked very happy and twirled around the field, "I will never get used to that feeling of flying, it's almost like the feeling of weightlessness and freedom," she turned around to look at me, "Sometimes I do envy you. You have the ability to go wherever you want and experience life outside the place you were born."

I looked away from her out of guilt. If only she knew that I felt the same way when I looked at dragons when I was younger. But when I became one and learned how to use this body, that was when I learned about freedom.

I looked down towards her, I started to wonder was this the perfect moment to speak to her? Perhaps, she may freak out for a moment and fell off my back and I'll have to catch her but she knows I won't harm her.

I took a deep breath

But before I had a chance to speak, Kindle said, "Anyway I did enjoy the flight but I have to go now. I have to work the early shift tomorrow and if I'm late for my next payment for my home I'll have to live with that scumbag and I don't want that. I'm not sure if you're staying here but if you're not this is goodbye. I hope to see you again but I doubt it the way my life is going."

She walked closer to me and hugged me around my arm. She looked deep into my eyes and back away. I saw a tiny tear coming out from her eyes, "Farewell my dragon friend,"

She was walking away, away from me towards her village just to be unhappy again. No I can't let her go just yet! I need to express myself and tell her how I feel.

"Please don't go..."

She stopped walking and turned around facing me, "D-did you just...no I'm hearing things."

I was too nervous to look her in the eyes so I just stared down at her feet, "No you are not..."

Once again she surprised me by her reaction, instead of backing away she came closer to me, "D-Dragon? Are you...?"

I found the courage to finally look her in the eye, "Hi Kindle."

I have never seen another human being back away so fast in my life, she back away from me at least 10 feet away from me. The only thing that stopped her was a tree, "Oh by the ancestors! A talking dragon!? How is this possible!? How are you talking!? Why are you talking!? Why are you talking to me!? If you could have talked before why didn't you!?"

I tried to speak, "Please calm down I will answer all of your questions but could you give me a moment to explain...please."

She was slowly walking towards me but she still looks frightened so I said, "I'm still the same dragon that you met 5 years ago. I promise I am no threat to you, I just want to talk."

"It's the fact that you can talk about freaking me out. I knew that you could understand everything I said before but this...this is just strange."

I slightly smiled and moved towards the edge of the cliff, "I know but this way we can talk to each other right?"

She walked through the field and was slowly calming down, "I guess that's true but I just need a second to get used to this."

"I understand, please sit next to me whenever you're ready," I said while patting at the ground next to me.

I guess she was a little more comfortable with me speaking after a few moments so she walked up on my side and sat down next to me. She stared up to look me in my eyes but then she looked over towards the ocean.

I decided to be the first to speak, "Do you remember this spot when we first met?"

She didn't respond; she just continued staring out at the open ocean. I was a little nervous and wondered why she wasn't responding.

But then she spoke, "How could I ever forget that day. The day I befriended a dragon that could understand me and wanted to listen to me."

Before I could respond she asked, "Now that you can talk I want to know why did you spare me?"

"Because I saw the fear in your eyes, a young girl trying to prove herself yet had not experienced life to its fullest. Plus I'm not a killer. I just wanted to scare you but you pulled out those Bolas to tie my feet together. You were one brave girl and even now you're a very brave woman. I'm sorry I couldn't stop those guys from harming you. But once I saw that guy slap you I was afraid I was going to do something I might regret but I knew you needed to be next to someone that could cheer you up."

I noticed she looked at her left hand and grabbed her wrist with her right but she looked up at me, "How are you able to talk to me?"

I quickly answered, "I could technically always talk though you couldn't understand me but the reason for that was I couldn't adjust my vocal muscles so everything I said back then was indecipherable to you. But I learned how to adjust it so now you could understand me. I wanted to learn to speak so I could talk to you.

She was a little shocked, "You learn to speak just so you could just talk to me?"

This is it, just tell her Ronde. Tell her how she makes you feel.

I looked down at her, "I wanted to tell you that...you make me feel happy whenever I'm around you. Before I met you I felt like I needed something in my life but I couldn't find out what it was. But when we met something in my heart it began to fill the more we spent time together. The more you laughed and smiled the happier I got. I love seeing that beautiful smile of yours and hearing your voice. But it makes me sad that you live in these conditions with people who look down on you," I looked away from her and looked towards the sky.

"Unlike these men I don't see you as a trophy, I see you as someone who fights for her dreams to be something beyond the standard of her tribe. Those weeks we spent together playing, training, flying, and talking to one another were the most exciting times in my life. Just seeing you smile and happy made me want to do more to help you achieve your dreams. I want to help you and give you the happiness you deserve. I really do like you so I was wondering if you..."

I looked down to see her covering her face away from me with her hand and she was making some sort of noise. For just a moment I thought she was laughing but I looked closer and saw a tiny tear going down on the side of her face.

After a while, she calmed down and looked towards the ocean, "It all makes sense, back then the last time I saw you before you left the island you kissed me across my cheek. I thought it was you were trying to copy me when I kissed you on your snout but in the back of my head I knew it was something more. Yet you are the second male that has said something nice to me like that, the other was my father."

She stood up and looked at me but the way she was concerning me, "Y-You...I..."

She looked conflicted, "I'm sorry but it cannot happen between us Dragon. It is impossible not because I don't want to but it wasn't meant to be. Maybe in another life, it could have happened but this is reality I can't."

I felt my soul being crushed as those words exited her mouth. At that moment I didn't know what to do.

She noticed my facial expression and called out to me, "Dragon look."

I looked over and saw her place her hand out in front of me, that when I noticed something that scared me.

Kindle spoke, "You are very intelligent but do you know what this is?"

I looked closer just to make sure I wasn't imagining what I was looking at on her finger but the more I look at it the more upset I became, "It's...an engagement ring..."

She looked down towards the ground, "Yes it is, I have to marry the man you saw slap me in 2 weeks."

That infuriated me to the point I almost roared out loud, "Why him!? Out of all the people of your village why...?"

It came to me at that moment, the one reason why she would and it sickened me, "It's an arranged marriage isn't it?"

She looked surprised, "You are very knowledgeable I'm surprised you know what that is but yes, I didn't have a choice. It was either that or banishment."

I wanted to cry right then and there and she didn't deserve this no one does.

She looked up at me, "I wish we could be together. You seem like a very nice creature but this is impossible. You are a dragon I am a human it would never last or work out. One day if we were to grow attached to one either I would like to have children of my own but can a dragon and a human bare a child together? I don't want to be the first to find out. And where would we go? To a dragon den? I need to live around people, I need structure and order in my life. but I wish we could be together, my dragon friend but this was not meant to be we are just too different and come from different worlds. I wish you luck and I hope you find the right one and I'm sorry that you learn to talk for nothing."

She placed a hand on me but let go and walked away from me.

Wait but I could...

"Kindle wait!" I yelled.

She turned around but didn't say anything.

'I understand why she would say that, a dragon that she knew a long time ago that is suddenly speaking to her telling her that it wants to be in a relationship is a little weird. But maybe if I show her my human self maybe things could change.'

"What if it could?" I asked.

She looked confused, "What are you talking about?"

"What if I...we can be together? I know away but if that doesn't work out I could at least take you to a place that would give you the structure you were talking about."

I don't know how she pulled it off but she looked curious and frustrated at the same time, "Oh and how are you going to do that? What are you going to do? Turn me into a dragon?"

I laughed, "No I can..."

Wait a second I wonder if that's even possible? Since I'm going back home I wonder if grandma could do what she did to me and do it to her? No, I wouldn't want to put her through that.

Kindle was getting annoyed, "You can what dragon? I'm not trying to be rude but I don't have time for you trying to impress me with some sweet talk."

"I'm sorry, I know of a place where people and dragons are together in one nation where you can live there. But you don't have to give me a chance but if I could change into a human...would you come with me?"

"Dragon, it was hard to believe that you can talk but you expect me to believe that you can turn human?"

I slightly laugh, "But would you? Like I said before you don't need to be with me but the least I can do is to get you off this island so you can experience true independence and freedom. I believe I owe you at least that."

She rolled her eyes. I miss this sassy side of herself, "It's very tempting but I don't know but I wanted to see this 'Human' you say that you can turn into. Make my day dragon."

I shrugged, "Ok," I slowly changed back, based on the pain I might be able to change back one or two more times after that I might pull or tear something.

After I finished changing I tried to shake off the pain and stand up, I saw Kindle with a very confused expression, "I'm sorry this takes a lot out of me. You're probably wondering how this is possible for a dragon to turn into a human. Well the truth is I wasn't always a dragon, I was human before..."

I noticed how the Kindle was just staring at me weirdly and I was confused why. But when I looked closer towards her I noticed she was blushing.

"Kindle why are you...?" I soon realized why she was blushing when a cold breeze hit me, I was completely naked. I quickly hid within some of the bushes to cover myself.

"I'm so sorry you didn't need to see that! I got distracted when I saw you and I completely forgot I needed clothes!"

She was still staring at me while blushing. But then she looked away while twirling her hair nervously, "It's uh fine...I didn't expect you to...looked like that..and your uh...well area down there."

I was completely embarrassed this was her first time seeing me like this and I blew it, "I think I'm going to leave in a few minutes. I understand if you want to stay here. I'm sorry for wasting your time."

After I found a leaf big enough to cover myself I walked out the bush. But suddenly Kindle grabbed my shoulder. I turned around surprised and we locked eyes towards one another. After a while, I began to blush. She was too but she said, "Is it really possible for you to take me with you?"

I was excited but confused, "You want to go with me? I know that you don't like your... fiance but what about your family and friends?"

"They died in a coup, some of our people didn't like the way our leader was handling our tribes so we staged a coup. My parents died in the middle and my fiance father took the mantle of our chief and forced me to marry his son after he asked him about me. That's why I'm paying my house off so I don't need to live with him for as long as I can. But now you're offering me freedom away from this place. I will gladly go with you. And maybe I...we can talk ok?"

I was shocked to hear about her parents, "Ok, but you'll have to give me a few minutes I can't change back and forth constantly."

She nodded, "That fine, it gives me plenty of time to gather my stuff and fake my death."

She was going to do what now?

She let go of my shoulder, "I'll be back in a few minutes this shouldn't take too long ok. Not trying to rush you but what I'm about to do I need to get off this island immediately. I can meet you back here."

I nodded and she ran back towards her village.

In a way I'm excited that she's coming with me. But I know in a way she is just using me to get off this island. But it's fine she probably doesn't like me the same way I like her but no one deserves what she's going through. Plus I promised myself I would get her off this island and that is what I'm going to do. I just hope she has a happy life wherever her choice takes her.

A few minutes later.

It was painful but I've changed back into my Chimera dragon body but I don't think I will be able to change again for a while. I just waited for Kindle to return from her village, I just hope she packs light.

Suddenly I heard a noise coming from the forest and I cautiously hid and waited to see who it was. But it was just Kindle carrying a small bag and next to her shield that was on her back was an ax. She was wondering where I was with a very concerned look, "Dragon, I mean Ronde are you there?"

I revealed myself out of my cover, "Yes, but are you really leaving?"

"Yes, everything I loved about this place is gone now I wish to start fresh."

I nodded and lowered myself to the ground, she quickly climbed on once I knew she had a grip. I flew off the island and headed back to my ship.

"Hey Ronde, do you know if the place you said that has dragons and people have a trading place or a pawnshop?" Kindle asked.

I tried to think, "I believe so, both in fact. Why do you ask?"

"Because I believe the best way to start a new life and disrespect my ex-fiance is to sell the ring he gave me. This is pure gold my friend so with the money I can get with this I can buy a new home where both of us can live."

I felt my heart racing when she said to both of us but I needed to tell her my lineage, "Kindle you can sell the ring so you can have a start but I believe I have the house thing covered."

She looked surprised, "Oh, do you own a house?"

Oh boy this is going to be a little hard to explain and believe, "Well let's just say it's a big house. I have a story to tell you while we're flying. Is that ok with you?"

She patted my back, "Sure, I'm all ears."

So let's start slowly, "Well I'm sort of a prince."

"I'm sorry you're what now?"

As we were flying I told her parts of my origins, my family, my adventures, and the Dragon Riders. I also told her about the journey we were about to take, going back to my home.

* * *

_**I apologize for the long wait, this chapter was supposed to come out during the summertime but I've just been distracted dealing with life and now preparing to go back to school. The good news is as I said before chapter 25 is done but chapter 26 is...not quite done yet. As I said before my previous chapters I don't know why I do this to myself but this is my longest chapter I wrote this far and right now it is over 26000 words and they're still a portion I need to get done which might be another 5000 words. I have a beta reader looking at chapter 25. We're working on it together but chapter 26 it's probably going to be a little while before I post that long chapter. Oh and I should have said this in the between chapters the upcoming chapters are going to be focused on Ronde and Kindle more than the other characters not saying they're not going to be there it's just the focus will shift. **_

_**Also some good news this is the first week school for me and the good news is I only have to do one online meeting for 3 hours on a particular day so what that means is now that I have a schedule once I get my assignment I'm going to finish them today I received them and then work on the chapters after I finished for the remainder of the week before I get my next assignment. So what I'm trying to say is my progress is going to increase more than what it was last year before this pandemic. But anyway be safe wash your hands and wear a mask. I'll see you guys either next chapter or another update chapter.**_

_**The last thing is that there's an image that was created for this particular chapter on my DeviantART account if you want to check it out the link is in my profile. (No this image is not the reason why the chapter took so long to come out.) I started working on the image after the chapter was finished. But that's the update once I and a beta reader are done with chapter 25 I will try my best to post it immediately if everything sounds fluid enough. But once again I apologize for this chapter taking so long to come out. I'm still trying to finish this story so I can work on the prequel which I have big plans for then after that I have to work on my comic which I am very excited and terrified to work on but that's the update.**_


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